


Oceanborn

by Nana_Kyu



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/F, F/M, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, M/M, Mermaids, Merman!Yuuri Katsuki, Pirate!Viktor Nikiforov, merfolk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nana_Kyu/pseuds/Nana_Kyu
Summary: An ancient legend says that whoever seizes the heart of a mermaid will control the ocean itself. No one has seen one in years, it is assumed that over-hunting extinguished them. However, that does not prevent rumors circulating around Viktor Nikiforov, captain of a small but loyal crew of pirates, terror of the naval armies and living legend. Viktor is said to have not only managed to take over a mermaid, but gave it his own heart in return and now possesses extraordinary abilities. When corrupt sailors kill his grandfather in cold blood, Yuri Plisetsky vows revenge and decides to find Viktor and join his team of pirates at any cost, thinking he will help him accomplish his goal.
Relationships: Christophe Giacometti/Christophe Giacometti's Boyfriend, Christophe Giacometti/Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Lilia Baranovskaya/Yakov Feltsman, Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 15
Kudos: 108





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> Some minor clarifications: I originally wrote this fanfic in spanish (posted it on wattpad). English is not my main language and while I did my best to translate it accurately, I most likely commited some grammar errors. Feel free to point them out in the comments!!! :)
> 
> That being said, please enjoy!!!!

Viktor required a great deal of effort to open his eyes, and he struggled even more to overcome his intense discomfort.

He felt dizzy, stunned and with his head throbbing as if he had just fallen from the tallest mast of a ship. Nevertheless, the young man tried to get up and as soon as he attempted to lean on his legs, he let out a cry of pain and collapsed again. Then, even painful memories surfaced in his mind.

He belonged to a family of mechants and his father was the captain of a small ship whose purpose was to serve as a cargo ship and transport goods to different places, where his wife and son used to accompany him.

Viktor was thrilled by those trips. He loved the sea and the feeling of the salt-laden breeze on his face, listening to the seagulls and watching the sky from the highest point of the mast. He liked to talk with the other crew members commanded by his father and learn from his stories and his sailor tales. However, it ended tragically.

In theory, that should have been a voyage like any other, but they were unlucky enough to be stopped by a Navy ship. Viktor was already familiar with the procedure, given the previous times when he accompanied his father and knew that the justification was that officers should check that they did not smuggle stolen goods and make sure it was not a covert pirate gang. Altough given the bad reputation of some navy officers, an encounter with pirates was preferable.

The Navy had long since gone from being in charge with protecting order at sea and apprehending pirates to be the instigators of chaos, as a result of admitting among their ranks corrupt and unscrupulous individuals who let themselves be bribed by the criminals who they were supposed to stop, and preferred to extort the innocent rather than fulfill their true work as guardians. On that fateful day, Viktor's father's ship was boarded by a troop of sailors led by one of these terrible men under the pretext of doing a ‘surprise inspection’, which actually meant they had to pay a fee to the officers in exchange for protection.

Viktor hated that with all his might. Why should these strangers come to steal their money, earnt as a product of their effort? Because yes, regardless of how they tried to disguise their action, it was still a vile robbery. And what irritated him the most, was that they couldn't do anything about it.

Corrupt or not, the Navy remained the highest authority and thus, everything reduced to an accusation of ordinary people against the word of respected officers. Viktor was aware of the fate of those who tried to oppose them. Honest men were framed and denounced for crimes they did not commit and ended up losing everything, being locked up in prison at best and at worst sentenced to death. So, all they had to do was to pay and be quiet until those thieves disguised as sailors withdrew. And they were about to retire, until the leader of the criminal sailors, set his sight on Viktor's mother, an extremely beautiful woman, and made an unthinkable proposal.

“Give her to me and your ship will never have to pay the protection fee again” offered that filthy man, a brown haired guy with eyes darker than a stormy night, that carried his uniform with the same pride of a wolf wearing a sheepskin about to enter a flock to destroy it, “Your ship and crew will be free to sail wherever tyou want and no one will stop you”.  
Naturally, Alexander, Viktor's father flatly refused. No matter how advantageous the offer, justified sacrificing his beloved wife, the love of his life. However, the officer wasn’t going to take a ‘no’ for an answer.

At his signal, all the sailors took out their weapons and arrested the crew, including Captain Alexander Nikiforov, and his wife and son were forced to watch as the officer's men held him and subjected him to a terrible beating without them being able to help him. Collecting his forces and unwilling to let himself be defeated, Alexander endured torture stoically, without shouting and always eyeing directly the main instigator. Viktor wanted to intervene, but his mother held him close, not wishing he would be hurt too.

“This is your last chance. Either she comes with me voluntarily, or I'll take her by force” the officer insisted, grabbing Alexander off the floor by the collar of his shirt.  
Through the corner of her eye, Viktor spotted her mother and guessed the moment she decided it was preferable to give herself voluntarily if she could save her family. Resigned, Irina let her son go and stepped forward.

“What are you doing?” her husband shouted. “Don’t come any closer! Irina… don’t you dare!”

The officer punched Alexander hard in the face to shut him up, throwing him back to the ground and then advanced towards the woman while sketching a wicked smile, rather than examining her, devouring her with his eyes. Desperate, Alexander crawled to her, only to be held back by some of the man's subordinates, still struggling and screaming at her to go back. And it was precisely his father's anguish and his mother's impending sacrifice that made Viktor react. With a rapid movement, the young man pushed one of his captors, taking advantage of the dagger he always carried in his belt and which none of the sailors had the precaution of confiscate, probably thinking that an eighteen-year-old boy with long hair and delicate features could do nothing against bigger, trained men. But they were wrong.

Viktor not only caught them off guard, but managed to free himself and knock one of those men out, making his way smoothly until he stood between his mother and the chief officer, much to his father's pride. As captain, Alexander expected his son to succeed him one day and trained him in fighting and sword handling, pleased with his natural talent. Not wanting Viktor to carry the weight of protecting them all, Alexander overcame the pain of his wounds and got up. At his signal, his crew members revealed themselves, using the surprise factor to subdue some of their captors. However, Captain Nikiforov made a fatal mistake in trusting that his enemies would give them a fair battle.

One gunshot, followed by Irina's cry, put an end to the fight. Viktor took a hand to his shoulder, still feeling the burning pain because of the bullet torning his arm, but without loosening his grip on the dagger.

“Well, this certaintly is unfortunate “the chief officer casually remarked,” when I deliver my report of this incident, I will tell in great detail how a simple inspection ended in an act of treason, as my entire crew was attacked for no reason and we had to defend ourselves...” He shot again twice, hitting two innocent members of the Nikiforov team in the head, killing them instantly. ”And it's a real shame, because you're actually kind of cute. I wouldn't have minded taking you alongside with your mother...”

That was the point where Viktor’s anger reached its limit and, without caring about anything else, he stabbed the man with his dagger right into his face, experiencing a faint satisfaction at hearing him scream in pain. Although the feeling didn’t last long. Another gunshot from one of the sailors resused behind his back and when he turned aroud, he saw his mother collapsed on the ground, her life escaping in the form of a pool of blood. Viktor couldn’t speak, miraculously not falling to his knees while his father managed to reach her and called her insistently, his voice filled with despair. 

"What a shame," the officer reprised, pressing the wound on his face with her hand, trying to contain the bleeding. “The bullet was for you, she just decided to get in the way. But don't worry, there's more where that one came from”.

Viktor was still in shock, the impression of seeing his mother die in front of him was too much, however and even in the midst of his grief, Alexander was alert. Aware that almost all of his men had been murdered and that it was only a matter of time before they killed the rest, Viktor and he included, admitted that it was a lost battle. Promising his wife that he would see her soon, Alexander approached his son and practically dragged him to the bow of the ship, with some of the sailors surrounding them without it really being necessary, since they had nowhere to flee.

“Viktor, listen to me... "His father spoke in a firm tone, startling him out, "There's no way we both survive, but I'm going to save you," decreed in such a way that he left no room for doubt.  
Viktor felt a lump in his throat, fully aware that it was the last time he would talk to his father. Guessing what Alexander planned to do, he opened his mouth to plead, to argue that the two of them could try and attempt that desperate escape, without being able to utter a single word.

“No. A good captain remains with his crew and ship until the very end...” the sound of footsteps informed him that the sailors were beginning to close the space around them, ready to apprehend and execute them. " I want you to live, to fight and to have a good and an honorable life. May the sea protect you and take you to a safe harbor, as I could not.”

Alexander managed to place a gold compass in his son's hands, his symbol as captain, gave him a quick and emotional embrace, and eventually armed himself with courage to push Viktor overboard.  
The last thing Viktor heard before he fell into the embravected waves was a gunshot.

Back to reality, the young man clenched his fists tightly and hit the ground over and over again, without it really helping him unload his fury. His parents had just been cruelly murdered at the hands of corrupt men and now he was all alone. In addition to sadness and anger, a new feeling emerged: the craving for vengeance. His father was an honest and righteous man, his mother a wise and gentle woman. The other crew members were also distinguished by being honorable. None deserved such a cruel fate, perishing as victims of those criminals who disguised themselves as navy sailors.

Blinded by his anger, he took the first thing he found on the ground, ready to throw it, imagining that it was the heart of the officer responsible... just to stop at the last moment, suddenly recognizing the last gift his father gave him when he said goodbye, and his eyes filled with tears. It was a magnificent compass with a pure gold cover and decorated with a detailed engraving on the back whose main focus was an ‘N’. According to his father, it was a relic of the Nikiforov family and was passed down from parent to son or daughter for generations. Alexander was supposed to give it to Viktor when he became captain of his own crew. Under the circumstances, that would never happen to be.

Viktor felt relieved that in spite of everything, the compass worked perfectly, and it was at that moment that an important issue came to his mind.

“Where am I?”

He asked out loud, watching his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be the inside of a cavern. Viktor also noticed that the wound resulting from the gunshot during the assault was covered by a weeded-based bandage and that on a number of long leaves were different types of fruits: mangoes, bananas and berries. Even the shell of a coconut was split in half and filled with water, which he drank hastily, realizing that he had no idea how much time he drifted into the sea. While devouring the fruit, he concluded that someone had to find it and carry him them. 

“Hello?” he tried again, looking for any kind of evidence that pointed to his savior. “Is anybody here?”

Nobody answered. Struggling, Viktor got up and began to explore the cave. The place wasn’t very big and the sunlight seeped through gaps in the ceiling. The waves broke against high rocks at the entrance and seawater completely covered one side of the cavern. Carried away by curiosity, Viktor tried to approach the rocks to find out how deep that area was, when a noise stopped him. The water stirred, as if something had fallen and Viktor immediately turned his attention there.

“Wait!” Viktor shouted, pretty sure he had seen a mop of dark hair hurriedly submerging into the water. “Don’t go!”

Viktor instinctively attempted to follow and threw himself into the water, though he could only walk a certain distance from the shore. He was still very weak and barely managed to stay afloat and climb back to the mainland.

With his eyes nailed to where he assumed the noise came from, he was certain that his mysterious rescuer was in the cave with him, and vowed he would find out his identity.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Viktor guessed, based on the shape of the moon, he spent unconscious nearly three days. 

Once he felt strong enough, he ventured out of his shelter. Viktor soon figured out he was trapped in a small island. 

The good thing was that it was full of resources. A considerable amount of fruit trees and other edible plants; not to mention birds and their nests, rabbits, crabs and even wild pigs would feed him. And right in the center of the island, he found a freshwater spring.

He experienced an immense sense of relief. At least he wouldn't die of hunger or thirst, not to mention that while he was already able to fend for himself, his savior continued to provide for him every day, which confused Viktor, for no matter how much he sought signs that someone else lived there, the island seemed to be deserted.

Nevertheless, deep down he recognized his situation was not so unfortunate. The real problem lay when he went to sleep at night, falling victim to terrible nightmares about the death of his family and the rest of his father's crew. On the friendly side, he was comforted to know that he was not alone, or something like that, since he had the impression that the other island dweller visited and remained by his side until he calmed down, although always disappeared whenever Viktor awoke. Of course, the curious young man was not going to leave things like that and on countless occasions tried to stand guard to catch his unknown companion, without success. They always visited the cave when Viktor slept or went out to explore and left no trace of his presence.

“This doesn’t have to be like this, you know?” he tried talking to his mysterious savior one night, pretty sure that the other one was hidden somewhere within the cave and was able to listen. “I promise I won’t hurt you. And if you’re stuck here like me, wouldn’t it be better if we worked together?”.

Eventually, Viktor deduced the other was a castaway just like him, although he couldn’t understand their evasiveness. 

“At least you're an excellent listener” Viktor sighed as he placed the fish his benefactor left him in his newly lit campfire to roast it. “And a very skilled fisherman too…” Viktor flattered sincerely, "I guess those are the kind of skills you learn from living on an island. I mean, it's not like there's a lot to do. Maybe you could tell me a few suggestions?”.

Viktor paused to think about why the other one feel compelled to hide without finding any reason convincing enough. Despite everything, Viktor managed to make an image of his companion. In all likelihood, they were shy and reserved, but also kind and very considerate or else they wouldn’t have helped him or been so attentive.

"Come on, I'm harmless," he assured no one in particular while smiling to invite them to come closer, "I just want to see you and thank you for everything you've done for me...” his words were meet with more silence. 

“Please!” He begged, as had already done plenty of times before, without resigning himself to being ignored. “Is it because you think I'm ugly? Or because you're ugly? Or maybe... are you mute? I bet you ‘ve been here way longer than me. Weeks... months, or... even years?” He looked up, hoping to notice something, anything, with no avail. Even the water stayed relatively calm. “You must feel very lonely. You must miss your family so much, and they must miss you too…”

At that point, Viktor stopped talking. The memories of his parents surfaced in his mind and he let out some tears, feeling both sadness and anger at their tragic and unfair ending. He had not abandoned the idea of revenge, but he admitted that wishing was one thing and putting it into practice was very difficult. To begin with, the name and squad of the officer who had murdered his family were unknown to him, although Viktor had managed to hurt him in the face, so at least he would have a distinctive feature. However, Viktor had to leave the island first, and that was going to be an extremely complicated thing to do.

Viktor thought about his options and considered his available resources. He could try to build a raft and use what his father taught him about sailing to depart for an inhabited site. The downside was that the trip could take days or maybe even weeks, by then his supplies would run out and he would suffer from hunger and thirst. Or a storm could reach him in the open sea without his feeble raft being able to resist it him on board, not to mention the possibility that the strong and unpredictable tides would sink him first. The waters around the island were unusually calm, but at the open sea the situation would be very different.

Disheartened, Wiktor sighed again and attempted to remove the fish from the campfire, suddenly noticing that the water in the cave was stirring, creating small waves. The light irradiated by the fire caused the rocks and Viktor himself to cast shadows on the walls of the cave and it was at that point that, following the direction of the waves, he spotted next to some rocks the silhouette of a human figure submerged in the water up to the waist. Excited, Viktor resisted the urge to run there so he could finally meet them, recalling that on his previous attempts the other one always escaped him inexplicably. He had to be smarter and not get impatient. So, he chose to finish his dinner while he decided what to do.

“Oh, my! This surely has been a very long day…” Viktor let out an exaggerated yawn, never averting his gaze from the place his mysterious companion was hiding. “I’m so, so very tired. I better go to sleep right now”.

He then turned off the campfire and proceeded to lie on a pile of leaves that functioned as a mattress, closing his eyes. With his heart beating hard, he waited, not daring to move, and even snored to make the farce more believable. Just as he was beginning to fall asleep, one subtle splash indicated that the other finally decided to approach.

Viktor was startled by a soft caress on his cheek, although he managed to stay still. The stranger, believing Viktor was fast asleep, outlined his profile with his fingers, touching Viktor’s lips, the tip of his nose, his cheekbones and his eyebrows, before moving on to his hair, their favorite feature, given the attention they payed to it. The mysterious stranger played to pull tufts of hair away from his forehead and combed it with his fingers. Added to the intimate and tender touch, a subtle murmur flooded Viktor's ears. The young man required a few minutes to understand that it was a song. The melody wasn’t sing by a voice, but rather was similar to listening to the sea in a seashell. Either way, the song was beautiful and gave Viktor the peace of mind he desperately needed.

After gathering enough courage, Viktor opened his eyes slowly and covertly, and he barely suppressed an exclamation of astonishment. The stranger turned out to be another young man with messy black hair that came a little more under his shoulders and clear skin, although not as pale as Viktor's. His rounded facial features gave him a certain innocent and childish air, but what captivated Viktor the most were his eyes, of a precious reddish brown that seemed to shine in the darkness of the cave.

Upon being discovered, the other young man interrupted his singing and for a few seconds, both could only contemplate each other in silence, too confused and surprised to do anything else… until the stranger let out a loud cry that Viktor was yet unable to hear.

Viktor tried to stood up and prevent him from fleeing, but the other was faster and, with an agile jump, threw himself into the water and dived without hesitation, disappearing into the depths but not without first allowing the silver-haired young man to have a perfect view of his blue fin, which replaced his legs. That's when Viktor understood.

It turned out that the sailors' old tales and legends were true. Mermaids and mermen really existed, and one of those beings had saved his life.


	2. Revenge begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You are all the same!” The blond barked, allowing himself to vent his anger once and for all. "Corrupt and miserable trash. You are no better than the pirates you are supposed to capture. And actually, pirates are better.”
> 
> As Yuri gets into trouble, he recives help from an unlikely source.

There was a time in Yuri Plisetsky’s life when he felt fascinated by the ocean and dreamed of becoming a Naval officer, just like his beloved grandfather Nikolai.

Despite being only a young boy by then, it was at that time when his most precious memories were centered: the first time his grandfather took him on a boat trip, spending the nights at the lookout post on the highest mast of his grandfather’s ship watching the stars and playing to identify constellations, learning about different sea routes, drawing on maps, walking on the beach looking for shells and swimming in the sea ... Definitely, those had been happy times that unfortunately ended too quickly, and too tragically .

The sound of a wooden box being dropped in front of him and the pungent smell of fish brought him back to his cruel and sad reality, and remembered that he still had work to do. Grumbling, he reached into the box to sort its contents into other smaller ones, in order to avoid being reprimanded by the foreman and having his already paltry pay reduced again.

After the death of his grandfather, with nowhere else to go and without anyone believing his version of what had happened, Yuri went through a series of orphanages where continuous abuse and misery forged his character, honed his survival instinct and reinforced his desire for revenge.

Fed up, he escaped those hideous places for good and set about wandering the streets, sometimes successfully hiding in ships to stowaway in hopes of being one step closer to getting his desired vengeance, to no avail.

He stayed that way for a year, until his continual coming and going eventually led him to a major city with one of the largest and most frequented ports, the site of one of the main Navy offices. 

Determined to not give up, Yuri settled there and managed to get a job at a fishmonger. The pay was meager and the working and living conditions were worse, but it would be worth it if ...

“Did you hear? Nikiforov was seen at the market this morning.”

Luckily, the exclamations of surprise and ‘shhhs’ from his companions prevented anyone from noticing that Yuri dropped one fish, an action that would have earned him a reprimand. Instead of picking it up and continuing with his work, he approached discreetly them, so as not to lose detail of the conversation.

“We're not supposed to talk about it here …” a boy with brown hair and innocent expression reminded them, looking around in alarm. “If the chief or one of the sailors hears us, we'll get in trouble.”  
“Don't worry, Guang” the young man who spoke first calmed him down, “the boss is busy. It's noontime already, so he must be drunk as usual.”

“But, Leo …”

For the most part, Yuri tended to stay away and rarely interacted or conversed with his fellow workmates, other orphaned boys like him, although he chose to make an exception given the topic they addressed. However, just as Leo was about to continue the talk, the cellar door opened, followed by the sound of firm footsteps, indicating to the young people that it was a ‘surveillance’ visit.

Growling under his breath and feeling the warning glances in some cases, and pleading from others, to behave and not get them in trouble like he used to, Yuri lined up with them in a row, opening and closing his fists as if that helped him to somewhat control his growing anger.

Two men entered. One of them was the owner of the fish shop, Yuri's boss, and the other, judging by his uniform, was a naval officer. Just by looking at him, the blond felt his blood boil with rage.

The two adults laughed and the officer glanced at the youngsters, quickly labeling them as insignificant and unworthy, and proceeded to place a leather pouch in an upturned box that served as a table. One by one, the boys advanced and deposited a coin, giving the man a bow that was motivated more by fear than respect. When it was Yuri's turn, he bit his lip to suppress a growl. He reluctantly threw his ‘contribution’, a necessary bribe for the authorities to allow young people like him to continue working there and not take them to some hospice or worse, to prison.

_'They only collect their money and leave ...'_ the angry blond repeated insistently in his mind. _'And I won't have to see his disgusting and corrupt marine pig face until next month ...'_

“Guang!”

Yuri looked up just in time to see the other boy on the ground. He tripped over the fish the blonde had dropped moments ago and slipped. Leo's warning came too late and Guang landed right on the makeshift table, causing the sack of coins to tip over and its contents to scatter on the floor.

“What do we have here?” the officer spoke, advancing until he was right in front of the frightened boy, with the toes of his boots millimeters from crushing Guang's trembling fingers. “A troublemaker, perhaps?”

“I-It was an a-accident!” Guang’s words came out as anguished babbling. “I tripped and …”

“Or it could have been a tactic to rob me” interrupted the man, and from his expression, it was evident that he enjoyed the young boy’s fear. “What a coincidence that you fell knocking down my money.”

“No!” Leo yelled, running towards Guang, helping him to his feet and then getting between him and the officer. “Please, sir ... It was an accident. If there’s any money missing, I will cover it and …”

“You dare to talk to me without permission?” he questioned raising his voice, while giving him a strong slap that almost knocked him down. “Don't forget what your place is, brat. If I want to, I can hang you and nothing and nobody will stop it.”

Yuri felt the anger simmering inside him about to overflow. If Admiral Nikolai Plisetsky was still alive, that would never have happened. The boys would not have to worry about their meager salary being stolen in such a blatant way, plus he would ensure that their working conditions were improved. That hideous man would at the very least have been suspended, if not fired and imprisoned for being corrupt and abusing his power. Unlike many of today's officers and sailors, his grandfather always distinguished for being fair, honest and protecting the weak, and he tried to instill those values in his grandson ...

_'Until those damned navy bastards betrayed him ...'_

In the mean time, the officer held Leo, who had a broken and bleeding lip, by the collar of his shirt and sharply pushed Guang away when he wanted to intercede to release his friend. The rest of Yuri's coworkers stared at the ground or had their eyes closed, afraid of getting involved. Not even their boss paid attention to them, why would he bother? All of them were replaceable. If he wanted another worker, he simply had to show up in the poor areas of the port or in the alleys of the city and he would have a dozen of desperate boys begging to be hired at his feet.

“Leo! Leo!”

The man jerked Leo away and gave him a strong kick that took all the air out of him. His sadistic smile made Yuri revive his worst nightmare, and it gave him the courage to intervene.

“Oi, you bastard! Didn't you hear them? They told you it was an accident. Is your marine brain so tiny and rotten that you don't get it?”

His tactic was successful. The man forgot about Leo and Guang and turned to him instead. The other boys backed away, not wanting to be associated with Yuri.

“What did you just say, you damn brat?”

"Wow, so you're not deaf after all," he replied sarcastically. "I'd apologize, but that doesn't justify you being a sadistic piece of shi ..."

The sailor interrupted him with a punch. Despite the force of the blow, Yuri did not complain and forced himself to stand firm, running a hand over his mouth to wipe away the remains of blood as if it was not a big deal, making sure to look him directly in the eyes to establish that he was not afraid of him, nor did he intend to be intimidated.

“You are all the same!” The blond barked, allowing himself to vent his anger once and for all. "Corrupt and miserable trash. You are no better than the pirates you are supposed to capture. And actually, pirates are better.”

“Mind your words” he warned, wrapping his fingers around the boy's neck. "If you don't want me to tear your tongue out …”

Guang and Leo tried to approach, but a glance from Yuri indicated them to stay out of the way. As the pressure the officer exerted increased, Yuri began to feel that the air was escaping his lungs and his vision was getting clouded. In an effort to breathe, he tried to throw his head back to inhale ... and took the opportunity to spit the man directly in the face, releasing him once and for all.

A chorus of gasps from the other boys showed that Yuri had just made a serious mistake. And he was aware and couldn't care less. He had wanted to do that for a very long time.

“I'm so sorry, sir!” the chief and owner of the fish shop spoke at last, approaching the officer, who used a handkerchief to wipe his face without hiding his displeasure. “He is just an impertinent little boy, no matter how much I have tried to educate him and teach him to obey, it has been impossible.”

_'And as much as we would like you to stop being a disgusting drunk man, you have not changed at all'_ he replied from his thoughts, taking a great breath of air to replace the one he lost when the officer tried to asphyxiate him.

“Leroy! Altin!”

At the officer's call, two low-ranking young sailors rushed in. Yuri didn't even bother to pay attention to them, labeling them as unimportant scum, no better than their boss.

“Arrest him immediately!” he ordered, pointing to the blond. “Disturbing the peace, attempted robbery, inciting collective disorder and attacking an officer ... You will be in jail for a long time” he smiled and Yuri did not flinch, which upset the office. “We'll see how long your impertinence lasts for you. I bet the other prisoners will love you joining them.”

The two sailors approached him with some hesitation and Yuri guessed they were sizing him up, surely thinking he was a poor helpless child based on his appearance and wondering how he could have pissed off the officer so much.

"Behave and maybe it won't be too bad for you," one of the sailors whispered and as soon as he heard him, Yuuri decided he disliked him and responded with a snort, to which the sailor rolled his eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

His partner, on the other hand, just handcuffed him silently. Yuri glanced at him. He gave the impression of being a serious guy who barely spoke, the kind who complied with the orders of their bosses without question.

_'The typical Navy’s dog'_ he thought with contempt _'I bet if they told him to throw himself out the window, he would ask from which one.'_

The man in question turned to look at him as if he had read his mind and their eyes met. Yuri was careful to stare without blinking, eager to use whatever action, no matter how small, to challenge the people he hated the most in the world.

“Otabek ... What are you doing?” the other called, interrupting the improvised stare duel “We have to get him out of here and lock him up. The captain is very upset, if we don't want him to take it out on us, we'd better get him out of his sight as soon as possible.”

The Otabek guy nodded without saying a word and pulled the chain of the handcuffs to signal his prisoner to move, which surprised Yuri. He actually expected a push or a blow, although he did not give it much importance. On his way out, he noticed that Leo and Guang were staring at him with concern, aware that they would probably never see him again. Of all the boys who work at the fish shop, they were the only ones who made the attempt to relate to him, although Yuri always pushed them away. Either way, he gave them a farewell nod, discovering that perhaps he did hold some appreciation for them.

*******  


Yuri found himself aboard a barred carriage whose purpose was to transport the prisoners, being forced to deal with, as he nicknamed his custodians: ‘the parrot’ and ‘smiles’.

"Come on, how many times do you want me to repeat it?" Said the parrot in a condescending tone, as if their prisoner was foolish and unable to understand. "It will be better for you if you cooperate."

Yuri remained silent, wishing he could make him shout his mouth and tear out his tongue. Nothing he said mattered to him and their continuous chatter was beginning to stun him, but the proud young man had decided that for no reason he would degrade to speak to them and, he intended to comply even if it was the last thing he did in his life.

“Look, I don't think you're a bad person” continued the godamn parrot “But you made Captain Litaro angry and he won't forgive you just like that.”

_'Wow, you don’t say? I figured it out when he punched me '_ Yuri said sarcastically in his mind.

“On the other hand, you are quite cute. Surely if you apologize and shed a few tears …”

Still without opening his mouth, Yuri indicated the other to come closer and he obeyed, thinking with satisfaction that he made him reconsider ... until the blonde managed to pass his hand through the bars and closed it around the sailor's tie, pulling it hard so that he hit his head against the cage, smiling pleased to hear his groan of pain. Behind him, smiles cleared his throat, as if trying to conceal a laugh.

"You're supposed to be on my side," chided the parrot, rubbing his forehead.

“Jean, it's obvious he doesn't want your help” he smiled, and Yuri was surprised to discover that he could talk. “Better leave him alone.”

_"Yeah, shut up and leave me alone" Yuri agreed._

Jean was about to respond, but the arrival of their boss interrupted them. As Jean rushed to say hello and open the carriage door for him, Yuri demoted him from parrot to boot-licking worm. At least little smiles had the decency not to look so eager to look good.

“To the central office, now” ordered the officer, and then turned to look at Yuri with a triumphant smile. “I’m going to teach you to respect your elders, brat.”

Yuri hugged himself, which the sailors interpreted as a display of his fear. The chief officer was satisfied, while the boy lowered his head, not wanting to get him out of his mistake while discreetly rummaging through in his pockets until he managed to extract a thin wire hook. Yuri pretended to cry and raised his hands to wipe his nonexistent tears as he placed the pick between his lips, hunching over in an attempt to go unnoticed, so that others would not notice what he was about to do.

Having spent so much time on the streets, he learned certain skills to survive and one of them was being able to open almost any lock with just a piece of wire. Fortunately, he had more than enough experience with the handcuffs the navy used, so breaking free was not a problem. He kept his hands immobile, as if he were still captive, and forced himself to suppress the urge to hit the boot-licking worm a well-deserved blow, who insisted on engaging in conversation and playing along with his boss, exasperating Yuri.

As they approached the navy office building, Yuri rushed to check his surroundings, mentally mapping out an escape route and several alternates, recognizing a couple of alleys he had previously hidden in and that would hopefully help him.

The carriage finally came to a stop and Yuri held his breath and tensed, like a cat about to attack an unsuspected mouse, forcing himself to use a virtue he rarely practiced: patience, to resist the urge to kick his cell open and lash out at the trio of inept and corrupt me that he were his jailers. Despite his prudence, his lips curved into an evil smile as he realized that the one in charge of leading him to the prison would be neither more nor less than the flattering parrot. Mentally counting, he waited for the right moment ...

“This will be my last advice” said the parrot-Jean in a whisper, placing the key in the lock of the makeshift cage” If you don't want them to be rough, behave yourself and lower your head.”  
The creak of the cell door opening signaled to Yuri that he should act.

“What if you better shut the hell up?”

The parrot was surprised that he was actually speaking, although his expression changed the instant the blonde's fist slammed into his nose. Not satisfied, Yuri pushed him with all his might, leaving the carriage with an agile leap, greatly enjoying hearing the cry of pain from the parrot combined with the indignant cry of the titular officer when he realized that his prisoner was free.

“You in the navy, in addition to stupid, are stingy” he mocked gleefully, holding the handcuffs high up. “They continue to use these same terrible quality toys” he threw them on the ground, contemptuous. “Even a small child could open them without problems …”

“What the hell are you waiting for? Go get him and arrest him!” the officer barked at the other two, although smiles were the only one who answered, since the parrot was still stunned by the attack.

Yuri broke into a run, determined not to waste any more time. Being so close to the viper's nest that was the Navy’s headquarters, more sailors would soon join the chase as soon as the alarm was raised. He needed to put as much distance as he could between him and them, and desperately hide.

In his favor, it was a busy time of day, so a good number of people roamed the streets fulfilling their different activities and duties. He hoped he'd be able to sneak past them if he managed to make smiles to stop following him, though he was honestly beginning to believe he wouldn't make it so easy. Yuri was fast, but so was the other and had the advantage of being an authority figure, so that it could be inferred that the blond was a criminal, and maybe some "helpful citizen" would try to intervene hoping to earn extra points with the Navy. And in fact, Yuri was surprised that the other hadn't asked the civilian population for help yet.

_'I bet he wants the credit for catching me exclusively for him' he mused, ignoring the man who yelled at him for pushing him 'But he will have to reach me first.'_

Showing off his natural agility, Yuri leapt into a stack of barrels, using them as a platform to propel himself and bounce back just before they collapsed, landing on the roof of a carriage. Yuri spotted smiles dodging the unforeseen obstacles and mentally counted five seconds to locate himself, recognizing one of the alleys he had taken refuge in earlier.

“Hold on, Otabek!”

He recognized the voice of Jean, the parrot, and saw he was accompanied by some other young men who wore the characteristic navy uniform, and Yuri guessed that the reinforcements had arrived.

The blonde boy threw himself to the ground, nearly being run over by another moving carriage, and hurried to resume his run, destroying a couple of merchant stalls in his wake and earning more complaints from passersby whom he pushed or dodged, until he was able to hide between some garbage bags just at the entrance of an alley, remaining very still when he heard that the sailors were nearby.

“You go over there, Otabek and I will continue to check around here” said the parrot, addressing his companions. “He couldn't have gone very far, after all he's just a child.”

_'Being 'just a kid' didn't stop me from breaking your nose'_ Yuri countered, biting his lip so as not to say it out loud and give himself away, irritated that he was put down.

When he considered his pursuers had departed, he proceeded to crawl into the alley as quietly as possible, admitting to himself he did not expect to get that far in his escape. The only thing left for him was to wait for them to tire of looking for him.

Visualizing a gap in the rubble at the end of the alley, he considered using it as a hiding spot. However, as he approached to explore, he discovered that it was already occupied by a dog.

“Get away” he ordered in a hiss, but the dog did not move. “Go away! Stupid dog ...” he insisted reluctantly, trying to pull it by the front legs, without success.“ That's why cats are better.”

As if he had understood the comment, the dog growled and Yuri instinctively responded with a snort. The sound of firm footsteps approaching startled him. The angry boy tried to force his way into the gap and the dog, feeling threatened, jumped on him, knocking him down and causing him to let out a surprised scream.

In the end, Yuri managed to chase the dog away and received only a superficial bite on his hand, but the damage was already done. Feeling watched, he turned to look behind him at smiles, who had witnessed the entire scene.

Cornered and realizing he had nowhere to run, he struggled to devise a strategy that would allow him not to be captured without anything coming to his mind. Although Yuri wasn't going to give up without a fight, he recognized that the other one would have the advantage given his training. He could try to dodge it, but the other would not hesitate to call his friends and that would be it. Those brutes would surely give him a terrible beating to retaliate for the trouble he caused them, before apprehending him and taking him to prison.

Clenching his fists tightly, defeat washed over Yuri, barely fighting back tears of rage and helplessness. He wasn't ready to stop, he hadn't even begun to plan his revenge. He still had to make the person responsible for his grandfather's death pay, a disgusting and repulsive naval officer with a scar on his face ...

“Did you find him?” asked the parrot, and although he could not see it, it was evident he was approaching.

Smiles just remain silent, as if debating with himself, keeping his gaze fixed on the blonde in front of him.

“No, he's not here.”

Yuri’s expression reflected absolute bewilderment. Had the other one just lie to his partner?

The sailor glanced at him one last time, before turning his back on him and walking away without looking back in order to meet with Jean, suggesting they continue their search for their prisoner in another area.

Still with his heart pounding, Yuri reflected on what had just happened. For some reason he couldn't pinpoint, smil... Otabek, a sailor who was originally supposed to apprehend him, decided to help him instead. Shaking his head vigorously to overcome the shock, Yuri snapped back to reality and refocused on his original goal: finding enemy number one in the navy, the pirate Viktor Nikiforov.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, an apology if you were expecting me to continue with Viktor's story, I promise you that it will be seen a little later. Meanwhile, we have the appearance of Yuri !!!! ... and JJ and Otabek, who will also participate later.
> 
> The story will follow 2 (kinda) timelines: the first one will show the past, how Viktor and Yuuri, how they came to be, and how Viktor became a pirate. The second one will be the main plot of the fic, focusing mainly on Yuri but without leaving the other characters aside.  
> Like I said before, english is not my main language, so if you find an error, please feel free to point it out so I can correct it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!


	3. Living Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you really want to come with me? It is not an easy life and much less a safe one. If you join my team, you will be persecuted and hated by many and if they catch you, your enemies will take revenge and use you as an example to intimidate others. Once they are done, you will beg to be executed and you will welcome death gratefully with open arms ... if they did not cut them before to display them”
> 
> An unexpected robbery might be the key for Yuri to find Viktor's crew. However, the legendary pirate might not like that at all.

Still hidden in the alley, Yuri Plisetsky was planning his next action. His plan for revenge began with a simple step: he had to find Viktor Nikiforov and join his crew of pirates. The problem was, he didn't consider how incredibly difficult doing that would be. In fact, he had been searching for months without any success.

 _‘Well, this time it will be different’_ he reflected, determined _‘Because now I have a clue.’_

He recalled that earlier that day, he heard the other boys at the fishmonger talk about Nikiforov. If the rumor was true, at least he knew where to begin, which was way more information than he previously had.

Not without some misgivings, he dared to leave the alley and found that there did not appear to be any sailors in sight, experiencing a stab of surprise that it was safe to go out. Deep down, he assumed that if this Otabek guy had helped him, it was to set him up, but he had to reconsider.

"It doesn't matter," he said in a low voice, shaking his head. "It doesn't change that it's one of the navy dogs."

He forced himself to put the thoughts relating to the weird sailor's motives aside, and instead flooded his mind with all the information he knew of Nikiforov, organizing it to get the most out of it, just as his grandfather taught him.

Viktor's story was tragic. He belonged to a family of renowned sailors. Some of their ancestors even became members of the Navy, before the organization went rotten. Everything changed one day when a routine inspection on the merchant ship run by his father, Alexander Nikiforov, went terribly wrong. Blinded by ambition, Alexander became a smuggler and when discovered by the Navy, he did not hesitate to sacrifice his crew in an attack they could not win. Even his family was harmed, with his wife dying in the crossfire and his son, at that time a young man of only eighteen years old, being presumed dead after falling into the sea, reappearing later as a pirate. For many, that fact was the ultimate confirmation that the Nikiforov family had been corrupted. However, Yuri didn't believe it. Just as the Navy betrayed his grandfather, he sensed that something similar could have happened with the Nikiforovs, so he justified and understood Viktor's decision perfectly. After all, pirates were the enemies of the Navy, although under the current circumstances, the vast majority took them as the lesser evil and preferred to deal with them rather than with the sailors and their associates.  
From that point on, the line between reality and fantasy about Viktor Nikiforov blurred to the point of creating an intricate web of mysteries and enigmas that gave him a kind of supernatural and living legend status.

Rumors said he possessed the power to control the sea and ocean, reinforced by his many miraculous escapes from faster ships commanded by captains more experienced than himself. On one occasion, Viktor's ship was cornered by an entire fleet of navy ships and inexplicably, he sneaked right under their noses with no one being able to reach him.

It also happened, in broad daylight and witnessed by numerous people, that Viktor was on the verge of being apprehended. Cornered in the harbor of a city with dozens, even hundreds of officers pointing their guns at him, Viktor threw himself into the sea in a desperate escape. The sailors waited, ready to fire as soon as he got out to breathe ... without that ever happening. The initial assumption was that the fierce waves and the strong tide drowned him, until he appeared in a neighboring town as calm and composed as if he had not had to swim several kilometers to get there.

And the list of sayings and rumors went on and on, with some swearing that Viktor was half a mermaid, or that he had one as a lover and that, as the ancient sea legends pointed out, he seized its heart and thus obtained the ability to control the ocean. Others even claimed that he had fed on the heart and flesh of one of those creatures and was now immortal.

For Yuri Plisetsky, this was all great nonsense. If he could get around the navy ships with ease, it was because Viktor was a splendid navigator; If he was able to escape the officers on that occasion, it was because he was a remarkable swimmer and perhaps he was able to hide a boat in a nearby area; and whether or not he was a mermaid ... that was the most ridiculous fact. These creatures didn’t exist, they were stories sailors invented to justify their carelessness, since it was easier to say that a mermaid seduced them and that is why they went off course, than to admit that they were drunk and that was the cause of their mistake.

 _‘Or he could have a fish fetish’_ , Plisetsky thought with a hint of unpleasantness. After all, it was well known that after spending so much time alone in the seas, some men tended to ... adopt certain unusual preferences.

Either way, Nikiforov's tastes didn't change that he hated the Navy, automatically making him a person of interest and potential ally to Yuri, reinforcing that he had to find him at all costs.

*******

The city market was abuzz with activity like any other day, with merchants tending their stalls and promoting their wares, and people going from here to there. However, amid the superficial normality, Yuri noticed some unusual details in the form of a considerable number of naval officers doing nothing but pacing. Or at least, so ordinary people would think. Thanks to his grandfather, Yuri was familiar with some of the tactics they used and based on their positions and the discreet way they searched their surroundings, he understood their intentions. They were clearly looking for someone, and while he wanted to think that he had caused them enough trouble that they put so much effort into catching him, he recognized that they were after a more important goal.

 _‘If I were Viktor Nikiforov ... where would I be?’_ he wondered, trying to put himself in the pirate's shoes, to locate him.

Although he was a pirate, Viktor distinguished himself from the rest by never attacking innocent people. Instead of raiding towns or cities, he focused exclusively on naval bases. He ignored commercial or passenger ships, his main target being those of the navy, sometimes he completely destroyed them. Another thing that made him different was that while many pirates did not touch their hearts to murder, he refused to take a life. He even forgave the sailors, his enemies. The only retaliation he committed against them was to leave a wound on their faces and even in this it could be considered fair, since he only attacked those whose crimes and acts of corruption were known and could be demonstrated.

For all these reasons, Nikiforov and his crew earned the appreciation and admiration of the people. It was well known that although a large reward was offered for him and his associates, no one had ever reported them and on some occasions people even went so far as to protect them.

Yuri moved cautiously, stopping as he passed a large warehouse where he identified the symbol of the Navy and knew he should wait there. If he were Nikiforov, he would undoubtedly stop by, either to raid or destroy the place and thus leave the sailors without supplies.

Taking advantage of the fact that with his appearance he easily passed as a beggar, Yuri waited for something suspicious to indicate that Viktor was nearby, without anything out of the ordinary catching his attention. The most remarkable thing was a young flower seller. Long blonde curls escaped the worn white scarf that covered her hair and she wore a long sky blue dress. She held a basket full of roses, and offered them to the passersby with a shy voice .

Every so often, a daring sailor would come up to her to pay her a compliment and make an unseemly proposal that she was quick to reject, in some cases having to flee in a hurry, although she tried not to stray too far from the area near the warehouse .

Probably, if Yuri Plisetsky had not been busy looking for signs of a well-known pirate, he would have noticed the contemptuous way in which the petite girl was observing the sailors, as well as that she was rummaging in her basket to extract a series of small spheres with a several-centimeter wick that she discreetly lit one after the other, and dropped to the ground stealthily.  
Once her work was done, the girl moved a prudent distance away and removed her scarf, pretending to fan her hair and waited...

The loud explosions startled not only the sailors, but Yuri.

Unable to see where the attack was coming from, the officers were hesitant, rushing from side to side, adding to that there were the screams of the passersby fleeing the invisible enemy, chaos was unleashed in all its splendor.

Yuri himself was unsure of what to do, until he spotted the flower seller running into the warehouse, no longer guarded, and kicking open the heavy wooden door. The blond boy was the only one to see her push heavy barrels and carry sacks over her shoulder with extreme ease. It was then that he remembered rumors pointing to a woman in Viktor's crew who possessed incredible physical strength.

“Mila!”

A cart drawn by a white horse approached and stopped in front of the warehouse. In addition to the driver, who was hiding behind a black cape, was another man, also half hidden under a hood.

“You’re late” she complained , crossing her arms.

“We would have arrived sooner if someone had not stopped to buy sweets for you know who” one of them explained reluctantly, glaring at the driver, who simply let out a laugh, without being mad for the scolding.

“In my defense, I was not the one who was entertained crying every time we passed a girl, remembering my ‘lost love’” the other one mentioned, causing his partner to dramatically lean on the cart and shed a few tears.

“You’re in the way, Georgi” Mila intervened, exasperated, and she finished moving the rest of the things on her own. “Viktor, that's why I told you Mari was better for this mission. And more importantly, can I take this thing off now?” she pointed to her blonde curls.

Hearing that name, Yuri realized that he finally had who he was looking for within reach. Before he could get closer, more screams and a plume of smoke rising in the distance put him on alert.

“It's Emil,” Viktor said, still hidden under the cloak, pulling on the reins. “Secure the supplies and let's go. The fire won't last long. Oh, and Mila ... don't take the wig off. Chris will be upset if you screw up another one again.”

With the talk between the pirates seemingly over, Yuri once again realized the incompleteness of his plan, since between ‘Finding Viktor Nikiforov’ and ‘Joining his crew’ was a huge gap. However, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity when he was finally able to make it this far.

Yuri ran as if his life depended on it, and it might as well be, determined not to lose sight of the wagon, which thanks to the horse's swift trot was already quite ahead. Fortunately, if anything distinguished Plisetsky, it was perseverance, in his case better known as "stupidity."

“Someone is following us!” Georgi warned, still with traces of tears on his cheeks. “It's a boy, and he's quite fast.” he informed after rubbing his eyes.

“Is he lost?” asked a concerned Mila.

“It doesn't matter. We can't stop now” Viktor decreed, not allowing himself to look away from the road.

The determined young man somehow managed to propel himself in the middle of his run and leap towards the wagon, managing to barely hold on to one of the edges. Feeling the impact, Viktor yanked on the reins and braked sharply, causing one of the barrels to topple over and crash to the ground and his companions to protest.

“Oh no! The apples!”

“Mila, there's no time for that! And you ... “Georgi addressed the newcomer, who was still trying to catch his breath, “Get off this very instant! We are not a nursery.”

“Don't scold him, Georgi” Mila reprimanded his fellow crewmate and instead, she helped Yuri up and put an arm around his shoulders in a protective attitude. “Poor thing, did you get lost?”

“Get your hands off me!” the blond barked, shaking off roughly. “And I'm not a baby. You are Nikiforov, right?” He asked the hooded man, even though he already knew the answer. "I want to join your crew."

Georgi and Mila watched their leader warily, who continued to fight to calm the horse so he could resume his escape.

“What, didn't you hear me?” Plisetsky growled. “I said I want to join your crew!”

"I heard you the first time, I just didn't want to answer," he said reluctantly, without even turning to look at him, which irritated Yuri. "And Georgi is right. If you want to play pirates, do it elsewhere. We don't …”

The loud screeching from a whistle interrupted Viktor. A sailor, having found the group suspicious, gave the alarm signal and rushed to call his companions. Letting out a resigned sigh, Viktor took off his cloak and for the first time, Yuri was able to watch him closely. Short silver hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a golden conch hanging from his neck ... he was undoubtedly the legendary pirate.

“Mila, could you be so kind to help him down? We are in a bit of a hurry.”

Yuri screamed as the girl lifted him up like he weighed no more than a feather. Terrified of missing the opportunity he longed for so long, he struggled desperately to free himself, kicking Georgi in the process and ripping Mila's wig off, exposing her red hair.

Viktor spied some officers marching towards them. That would be far from the first time they'd have to make a miraculous escape, and in fact, he was already more than used to doing them, considering them almost his personal signature. But this time he was feeling particularly angry, since what should have been a simple robbery and resupply mission was complicated by a spoiled little boy. Impatient that neither Georgi nor Mila were able to subdue him, he chose to intervene. The problem came when Viktor tried to seize the blonde. As if he was a cornered feline trying to fight, Yuri threw a blow that the pirate managed to dodge. Viktor, in appearance, was unharmed...

A violent tug on his neck and the sight of the golden conch in the stranger's hands immediately turned Viktor’s anger into panic. Even the other two stopped fighting, unsure of what to do, realizing that the young man had stolen what could well be considered his captain's most valuable possession.

"Give me that back, now," Viktor ordered firmly.

“If you want it ..." Yuri jumped off the wagon, holding up his loot, more than satisfied to finally get them to take him seriously. "Come and get me!" he exclaimed, and then started to run.

Viktor grunted and cursed loudly, berating himself for his overconfidence.

“Georgi, take the reins and go look for Emil” he indicated, before rushing to chase the petty thief. “Go to the meeting point, tell Chris to drop anchor and leave immediately. Don't wait for me, I'll catch up with you later.”

“But, Viktor ...!” Mila opened her mouth without being able to finish the sentence since Georgi started the cart at full speed, obeying his captain without hesitation. Mila watched him disappear between some buildings, in search of the little blond, with some sailors on his trail, while others followed her and Georgi, although that was the least of her worries. “Shouldn't we help him?”

“You know Viktor loves attention”, Georgi replied casually. “He’s going to be fine and he will have another fantastic getaway to brag about.”

“I didn't mean him. I'm talking about the boy” Mila clarified, taking more of her small explosives from the back of the cart, ready to use them in case their enemies got closer than they should. “He stole Yuuri's heart, I bet Viktor is going to be very, very angry.”

*******

From Yuri's point of view, this was the happiest and most exciting day she had in a long time.

Every now and then, he would turn to check that Nikiforov was after him, smirking at the sight. Honestly, it was strange to him that the pirate went through so much trouble to get the conch back. It was not to big, it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and its shiny golden color was especially beautiful, but to Yuri it was still a mere trinket. Although if Viktor went into a frantic race to get it back, it must have represented something of great value to him. Maybe even enough to allow Yuri to accompany him in exchange for returning it to Viktor.

Yuri finally stopped, careful to display his loot in front of Viktor. Of course, always alert and never loosening his grip on the shell.

“Give it back... now! "He gasped heavily, struggling to catch his breath." Or else …”

Yuri laughed, not willing to be intimidated by him.

“Don't tell me you got tired of just that?” he asked mockingly, without taking a single step back. “Who would have thought, the reckless pirate captain is no more than an exhausted old man.”

“What the hell do you want?”

“I already told you, I want to join your crew.”

“And I already told you that it is not possible” replied Viktor, running a hand through his hair, drenched in sweat. “If you want to become a sailor, join a merchant ship, or enter the naval school …”

“No!”

At the mere suggestion that he enter the school in charge of instructing future Navy sailors, Yuri's blood boiled with sheer rage. Viktor also noticed the change in his attitude. The face of that conceited and impertinent boy began to reflect an emotion with which he was more than familiar.

“I refuse to have anything to do with those bastards!” he spat, clenching his fists tightly, and Viktor feared that in the middle of his snatch, he might damage the conch. However, the blonde managed to calm himself enough to see him straight in the eye and despite everything, the older one was impressed by his poise. “I hate them ... I hate the navy and its members! They are all the same, criminal and corrupt scum.”

Those were very harsh words for a child to speak. However, Viktor recalled that he came to say something similar when he was only a few years older than the blonde. What kind of tragedies did that boy go through that his hatred of the Navy was so strong?

“There he is!”

In a matter of seconds, they were surrounded by a troop of sailors who, although clearly outnumbered, were hesitant to approach and Yuri sensed it was due to the reputation of the blue-eyed pirate.

“V-Viktor Nikiforov!” one of the uniformed men dared to say, trying to assume leadership when he realized that none of his companions seemed very willing to do so. “You are under arrest! You are ... you are accused of theft, damage to private property and…”

“Kidnapping, assault, carrying weapons without a license, etc., etc.” interrupted the aforementioned, outlining a smug smile at the obvious nervousness of the sailor. “I guess your next step is to ‘try’ to arrest me” he suggested sarcastically, discreetly reaching his hand towards his belt to look for one of his weapons and then addressing the blonde next to him. “Kid, if you really want to join my crew, this will be your first test …”

Yuri nodded, expectant and more determined than ever.

“Don't let them catch you.”

With one swift movement, Viktor grabbed his weapon and fired three accurate shots at the sailors closest to him, instantly knocking them down. One of his companions cursed out loud and overcoming his fear, he took aim at the unsuspecting pirate, hoping to avenge his fallen friends.

“They're alive!” warned another who had bent over the wounded to check them, before his partner could pull the trigger. “They aren’t bleeding and still have a pulse. They are just unconscious.”

Yuri watched them carefully. The men on the ground had their eyes open and their lips trembled, gasping pathetically like fish out of water. The strangers' chests rose and fell almost imperceptibly and their fingers contracted without their fists being able to clench. Then he remembered another of the rumors surrounding Nikiforov. It was said that its aim was exceptionally good and possessed special ammunition that only paralyzed its victims, but never killed them.

“This is the plan” Viktor spoke, knocking down two other sailors, satisfied that some others preferred to flee, not willing to risk facing the pirate captain. “Take care of that with your life and do not get in my way” Viktor ordered, indicating the conch quickly, and then he took another one of his weapons and executed another series of perfect shots.

Unhappy with the last command, Yuri picked up a stone and threw it with all his might, hitting one of the sailors right between the eyes, stunning him and preventing him from attacking the pirate from behind.

"It's you who shouldn't get in my way" Plisetsky barked, tearing a piece of his shirt to wrap the conch and keep it protected. "I know how to take care of myself."

Although some men had fled, others were soon to appear. Even though they were outnumbered, Viktor knew he had the advantage for a simple reason... 

"They're just rookies," the blond said loudly, after knocking out three sailors on his own without much difficulty.

To Viktor's surprise, the angry little boy was proving himself. Although they had just met, they were capable of fighting as if they were a team. The youngest was not intimidated by the larger and more trained sailors, responding to their attacks without hesitation and not once did he require Viktor to help him.

“So you figured it out, huh?” praised the older man. “That's probably my fault.”

Given his reputation, many of the officers in high positions chose to stay out of the way so as not to expose themselves to being marked by the pirate, using their subordinates as cannon fodder. There was little or nothing they could do against someone as experienced as Viktor, who was not only skilled in handling different types of weapons, but was also a skilled fighter, and thus the pirate defeated his enemies every single time.

As much as Nikiforov wanted to continue showing off his skills, he was aware that he could not continue like this. He guessed that by then Mila, Georgi, and Emil had returned to the ship with the supplies; and Chris, his second in command, would have carried out his orders and they would be a safe distance out at sea by now. It was time to retire.

“Let's go” he instructed the blond, who was still biting the arm of one of the sailors he had shot down. Viktor bit back a chuckle. "If I were you, I'd walk away ..." he recommended, winking at him and proceeding to extract some small spheres, similar to pearls but black in color.

Yuri reluctantly obeyed and before he could ask him what he intended to do, Viktor threw the spheres and thick black smoke invaded the place. Yuri covered his nose and mouth with his hands. The dense smoke prevented him from seeing anything and penetrated his throat, making it sore. The nervous young man felt someone pulling him by the shoulder and instinctively responded with a failed blow, as he was the victim of a coughing fit. Viktor then managed to drag him to the other end of the street, away from the smoke.

“I forgot to tell you to cover yourself.”

[i]‘You don’t say?’[/i] It was the sarcastic reply that Yuri's mind devised for Viktor, especially when he noticed a handkerchief wrapped around the nose and mouth of the silver-haired man. Too bad she was too busy between coughing and catching up the lost air to yell, so he just glared at him, which, far from bothering Viktor, made him smile.

"That won't distract them forever, so I'll ask you one last time ..." he said once the other had recovered enough. "Do you really want to come with me? It is not an easy life and much less a safe one. If you join my team, you will be persecuted and hated by many and if they catch you, your enemies will take revenge and use you as an example to intimidate others. Once they are done, you will beg to be executed and you will welcome death gratefully with open arms ... if they did not cut them before to display them” he concluded sternly, a huge contrast to his carefree attitude moments ago.  
Yuri just remained silent and handed him the conch shell, still wrapped in the cloth, without his solemn expression wavering for a second.

“Very well, it is decided then” Viktor agreed, sighing relieved after verifying that his most valuable possession was intact, caressing it with affection. “Now, we have to get to the sea. If we succeed, we will be safe.”

Yuri started to run and Viktor stopped him, shaking his head and indicating the opposite way.

“But the beach is not there.”

“We are not going to the beach.”

“The only thing over there is a cliff.”

The pirate gave him an enigmatic smile.

“Precisely.”

*******

Yuri Plisetsky stared terrified at the violent waves crashing against the rocks just below the slope, several feet above.

“You are completely insane!”

“You can fight a squad of sailors, but a little jump ahead scares you?”

Originally, Yuri assumed that Viktor would have his ship, or a boat in a nearby area, not that they were going to dive right into the sea. In his growing panic, Plisetsky did not see Viktor holding the conch close to his lips and talking in a hushed tone. A knot formed in his stomach and he began to shiver uncontrollably, clenching his fists so tightly that he dug his nails into the palms of his hands.  
"Relax, it's a little scary the first time, but nothing will happen to you," he promised in a friendly voice. "I've asked for help, everything will be fine."

Then, without making another comment, Viktor threw himself into a perfect dive. It was only when he lost sight of him that Yuri reacted, finally daring to take a hesitant step forward, only to step back.

The scared blond fell to his knees and clutched his head with both hands, fighting back the tears. He was no longer Yuri Plisetsky, a fifteen-year-old boy determined to become a pirate and seek revenge for the death of his grandfather; he was Yuri Plisetsky, a twelve-year-old boy who had just seen his grandfather's crew turn against him and murder him in cold blood, the same men who threw the little blond into the sea to eliminate the only witness to his crime.

The memory of that fateful night gave him something to hold onto. He thought of his beloved grandfather, Nikolai, and how he always urged him to be brave and overcome his fears. The image helped him to his feet and closing his eyes, he threw himself off the cliff.

Yuri's arms and legs became paralyzed as soon as he touched the water and although in theory his survival instinct should have been stronger, the blonde was unable to move to stay afloat. The waves felt like blades against his body and as he opened his mouth to scream, he swallowed more water.

Overcome by anguish, Yuri fainted, so he did not see someone with dark hair, brown eyes and a blue fin, swimming towards him at full speed. With a flick of its fin, the creature calmed the strong waves; after which he held the blond unconscious, keeping his face out of the reach of the waves so that he could breathe, preventing him from drowning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so very sorry for the delay!!! I was supposed to update on sunday, but... honestly, I wasn't feeling well enough to write. Altought not 100% recovered, I'm doing better so I tought I might as well make the most out of my time (given that apparently, for good or bad, I'll be having a few free days to write) and post the pending chapter. 
> 
> Feedback is always welcomed!!! English is not my main language, so if you notice a mistake please make sure to point it out so I can correct it. Regarding that, how do you like the story?? Is it a) easy to read, no mistakes. b) Few mistakes, but doesn't interfere with the reading. c) Lot's of mistakes to point out. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!


	4. Hasetsu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You asked me why I want to join you and this is why. They say you hate the navy, and the feeling is more than mutual. I want justice for my grandfather, I want to make them pay ... I want the murderer to suffer and receive what he deserves! If anyone can help me, it's you.”
> 
> Yuri talks to Viktor and makes some new friends.

“... so luckily, the ship was not damaged. The final loot consisted of five sacks of flour and three of grain, ten cans of oil and as many of preserves, two barrels of wine and four of drinking water, three boxes with oranges, one with assorted vegetables and one with meat. As additional bonuses we can include coffee, white bread, candies, sweet rolls and chocolate. Which might make Mila forget that we couldn't get apples.”

Viktor listened to the report from Christophe, his second in command, as he finished drying his hair. Once on board his ship, in the comfort of his cabin, the captain made a recount of the damages, which fortunately were none.

“Thank you very much, Chris. And Mila, Georgi and Emil?”

A woman with brown skin and long dark hair, who was waiting beside Christophe, stepped forward.

“I checked them up and they are in perfect health. Mila has a slight burn on one hand, nothing that fresh water and ointment won't heal, the same in Emil's case. Georgi insists that there is something wrong with his heart, but… ”she shrugged.“ It's Georgi, so nothing to worry about.”

Viktor nodded, pleased with the report Sara, the ship's doctor, had given him. Despite being so young, the girl was extremely professional and dedicated, and her knowledge of medicine was very broad.

"More importantly, you should let me check you out" Sara suggested to her captain. "You were in a fight and jumped off a cliff, we should make sure you don't have any injuries."

"I would only be wasting your time," Viktor replied, laughing. "My heart is beating, I'm not bleeding and nothing hurts." To emphasize his words, he opened and closed his hands several times. Chris sighed in resignation and Sara rolled her eyes. “What about our new acquisition?”

Chris and Sara exchanged a look, and Sara crossed her arms before answering, unhappy.

“If we don't consider the chronic malnutrition and the scars that show previous abuse, his health is perfect” assured the girl. “So you are being serious? Are you really going to admit him?”

"I made a promise" Viktor replied, turning his back to them momentarily, kneeling on a carpet on which a brown-colored dog rested, which upon perceiving his master, rushed to greet him with an enthusiastic bark. "He really stood out. He was able to defend himself and not once did he flinch.”

“And as we all know, you remember your promises only when it suits you. If he dared to throw himself into the sea to follow you, it is because he’s very interested in you” Chris noted. “And by the way, was that so necessary? If you really want to get attention, I wouldn't mind suggesting other less dangerous ways.” he completed the sentence with a suggestive movement of his eyebrows.

"I like that you take it with humor," Viktor replied, still intent on pampering the brown poodle. "Yuuri wasn’t very amused.”

“What bothered him was that you surprised him by taking with you a stranger who is nothing more than a child” Sara explained. “What were you thinking? He almost drowned.”

“Honestly, I thought he would be fine” Viktor admitted, and the dog rubbed its head against his hands so that he wouldn't stop caressing him. “He could fight a squad of sailors without problems. I didn't think he was afraid of water.”

“Excuse me if I agree with Miss Doc on this occasion, dear” Christophe chimed in, adopting an unusually serious tone. “Not to mention, what do we know about him? It could be a trap. It is not the first time this happens and you know it. Also, I'm a bit confused that a kid caught your eye. I thought you liked fins. Do you not prefer to fish?”

Sara covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh, remembering the rumors circulating around her captain. Viktor stared at the girl with a frown and she exchanged a knowing smile with Christophe.

“You are supposed to respect me! I am your captain” he protested, without his anger diminishing the good humor of the other two. “Makkachin! They are insulting me, defend me!”

The dog stared at him cocking his head, got up lazily, and proceeded to lie back down in front of Sara and Chris, asking for belly rubs. Viktor pouted.

“Traitor!”

“Don't be mad at him. It's not Makkachin's fault you're reckless, ”Sara pointed out, bending down to pet the poodle, who received her attention with pleasure.

“Sara is right” Chris seconded. “Sometimes I’m surprised that even Yuuri, being a merman, has more common sense than you.”

Still grumbling, Viktor dropped into the chair across from his desk. That they used Yuuri against him was the last straw, and yet he smiled as he admired the magnificent golden sea conch that lay on a velvet cushion next to some scrolls.

“It doesn't matter. How much longer do you think he will remain unconscious?” he inquired, and by his expression, he made it clear that the time for the jokes was over.

“Is hard to tell. He has no physical damage, so he should wake up soon” Sara deduced not very convinced, getting up and Makkachin returned to his owner. “Mila is taking care of him, but just in case, I would like to be present when he reacts. Besides, Mickey doesn't like me being alone with you, ”she added with a hint of annoyance.

“What? Is your brother afraid that we will try to take advantage of you?” asked Christophe, taking between his fingers a long lock of Sara's hair. “I’m surprised that he still thinks that you are a fragile creature in need of his protection, when in fact you have very sharp claws and are not afraid to use them.”

“ I'm glad you recognize that” the girl said, pleased, and then gently pushed him away, although she reconsidered at the last minute and hit him on the elbow, making Christophe wince. “And since you allowed me to show it, I better go now. My patient awaits me.”

After which Sara walked away humming. Viktor laughed and it was Chris's turn to give his friend a sour look.

"If I ever feel my arm again, remind me to hit you good."

"I could promise you, but most likely I would forget."

Christophe considered throwing Viktor overboard for a moment, until he remembered that having a sea creature as a lover gave his captain some advantages, so resigned, he had to dismiss the idea. Either way, he could never stay mad at Viktor for too long.

*******

Yuri Plisetsky opened his eyes slowly, unsure if what happened was a dream or happened in reality.

At first, he had a pang of fear that she was still in the fish shop, until the softness of the bed he was in made him react. He was beyond confused. The last time he slept in one was months ago, not to mention that he was wearing clean, dry clothes. It was this last detail that made him jump. He visualized himself jumping off the cliff and he could barely suppress a scream.

“Wait! You are still very weak. You better take it easy.”

The voice was a girl's and for some strange reason, it sounded familiar. With some hesitation, he observed that a young red-haired girl was next to him, the same one who was in the wagon with Nikiforov and again, he tried to get up.

“ What did I just say?” She hastened to hold him back, placing her hands on his shoulders, and he slapped her away, drawing a smile from her. "If you can do that, then you're fine. I admit I was worried when Viktor brought you aboard and you weren't moving.”

The name was confirmation that Yuri was not dreaming.

“Nikiforov is here?” Was his first question.

“He is at his cabin. Sara and Chris were updating him on what he missed by being entertained with you.”

“So ... where the hell am I?”

“You are on our ship, where else? "She replied with a giggle." Welcome to the Hasetsu. And by the way, my name is Mila. Who are you?”

Before the blonde could open his mouth to tell her in the most polite way possible to mind her own business and to do the favor of leaving him alone, they were interrupted by someone else.  
“Sara!” The redhead exclaimed as soon as she saw the newcomer, throwing herself into her arms without hesitation and Yuri, for some mysterious reason he could not specify, blushed.  
“Mila, please behave” asked the aforementioned, reciprocating the hug. “You are making him feel uncomfortable.”

“If he’s going to join us, it's better that he gets used to it, right?” Mila concluded, pulling away after kissing Sara on the cheek and not bothering to hide her delight at Yuri's dismayed expression.

“Well, as my ... partner informed you, I am Sara Crispino, the doctor of this ship and my responsibility is to ensure the well-being of the entire crew, which apparently includes you” said the dark-haired girl, advancing towards Yuri. “Do you remember your name? Do you know what day it is and where you are? Does any part of your body hurt, do you feel dizzy or short of breath?”

"I want to see Nikiforov," the blond grumbled, crossing his arms and frowning.

“I think we can figure out why Viktor decided to admit him” Mila expressed, amused.

"Which might not necessarily be something good," Sara opined. "But okay, Viktor wants to talk to you too. If you can walk on your own, I'll take you with him, in case you don't …”

Mila decided to step forward and lifted the blondie with extreme ease, throwing him over her shoulder as if ihe was a simple sack of potatoes. Although Yuri screamed, slapped, and kicked, the girl just carried him out of the room without being bothered in the least by his rudeness. Sara followed them at a prudent distance, struggling to suppress a smile, thinking to herself that perhaps this boy would be a perfect fit with the rest of the crew.

*******

“Put me down right now, you ...! Witch!”

“Don't you know it's rude not to call a young lady by her name?”

“Just put me down, dammit!”

"And even though I was kind enough to lend you some of my clothes …”

" What?” The blond blurted out, ceasing to struggle. "I don't want to wear women's clothes!"

"Well, you're going to have to settle with that." Mila finally deigned to put him down, and Yuri was grateful to be back on the ground. "Those of the other boys were too big for you. Although if you don't want to wear it …”

The redhead made the gesture to catch him and Yuri instinctively pulled away, glaring at her and giving her a snort.

Sitting at his desk, Viktor admired the scene. Sara had already told him that she liked the impertinent and angry boy and obviously, it was the same for Mila. While Chris was still suspicious, he hoped he would be able to convince him to accept the little blonde once they had a conversation. Although ultimately the decision on crew members rested solely with Viktor as captain, he nonetheless valued the opinion and advice of his second-in-command (even if he rarely adopted his recommendations) and it was preferable that Christophe supported the idea that they would have a new teammate, or else the atmosphere would become rather tense and Mickey and Georgi would probably take the opportunity to oppose the silver-haired one and blame him that he should be more prudent and responsible.  
Viktor cleared his throat to get noticed, slowing Mila down in her attempt to grab her new teammate. The girl hid her hands behind her back and put on her most innocent expression, which did not fool anyone.

“Thank you for bringing him here. Sara, Mila, I have to ask you to leave. Ah! I remember Chris mentioned that we were able to salvage some chocolate …”

His tactic worked. Mila gave a little cry of pure pleasure and hastened to take Sara by the hand to go nosing around the cellar.

"You really know your crew well," Chris complimented, his voice velvety in what was practically a purr.

“But of course, I’m the captain after all” answered the other, quite satisfied with himself.

“Oi!” exclaimed the blond, effectively drawing the attention of the elders, although he concentrated exclusively on Nikiforov. “What is your damn problem? Did you really have to make me jump off that cliff? You are completely crazy!”

“That was a small test”, the silver-haired man explained, ignoring the boy's anger. “I wanted to be sure that you trusted me, and I am proud to say that you far exceeded it. All I ask of my crew is their loyalty.”

His words seemed to appease the blonde, while Chris watched his friend arch an eyebrow, hinting at a silent: ‘You just made it up, right?’ and Viktor in response, raised his index finger to his lips.

“Either way, since you're here, I'd like to have a little talk with you.”

"If you're going to go back on your word, I won't leave," Plisetsky declared defensively, tensing like a feline about to attack.

“No, no. Don't worry, I made a promise to you and I'm going to keep it” he looked briefly at Chris, and then concentrated on the little blond. “You are not the first to look for me with the intention of joining my group, although you are the one who has gone further, and that it is something to admire.”

It was not uncommon for boys and girls, attracted by Viktor's reputation and excited by the prospect of an adventure-filled life as pirates, managed to find him and insisted on being part of his crew without the legendary silver-haired captain ever accepting them. Cristophe knew this first-hand, since he came to witness on some occasions how Viktor gave a hard blow of reality to those excited youngsters, eventually convincing them by hook or by crook that piracy was not for them and that the best they could do was look for other alternatives. What Chris did not understand, was what made that boy different from the others.

"I hope you understand... I have to ask you a few questions so that we can get to know you better" Viktor resumed.

“And does he have to be here?” Plisetsky questioned, pointing at the older blonde with suspicion.

“Christophe is my right hand man when it comes to the ship and the “. Viktor informed him. “If I am not present, you will have to answer to him, so I would recommend that you try to win him over.”

"You're making me look like I'm a controlling monster," the aforementioned complained. "Although Viktor is right that we should find out more about you. I especially have my doubts, so if you allow me to start with the interrogation ... What motivated you to want to join us, precisely?”

The answer to that, Yuri had it very clear for years. Without hesitation, the blond clenched his fists tightly and gave the older men his firmer gaze.

“Revenge.”

It was clear to Viktor and Christophe from his tone that he was serious. Since no one tried to interrupt him, Yuri continued.

“My grandfather was an admiral in the navy. My parents died when I was very little, so he took care of me …” He paused, because the memories of his happy and short childhood caused a lump in his throat. “Sometimes he would allow me to accompany him along with his crew on some voyage, that's why I was there when ... "He bit his lip and shook his head. "That day, we received a message from another ship. Some pirates had attacked a small town. They destroyed everything and kidnapped some of the inhabitants. My grandfather did not think twice to chase them and in fact, we managed to reach and subdue them …”

Yuri's mind recreated that damn day when he ended up losing everything. Given the potential danger posed by this impromptu mission, Nikolai motioned for him to stay off deck. Reluctantly, Yuri agreed ... momentarily. He escaped to the surface just in time to watch his grandfather precisely command his men to board the pirate ship. They could do nothing and were arrested. Nikolai Plisetsky had an extraordinary triumph, with all his enemies apprehended without any casualties among them or in his own ranks. To say that Yuri was amazed was not enough. The admiration for his grandfather increased and the then little blond believed that this gentle and brave man was invincible and nothing and no one could harm him.

Sadly, the cruel reality was soon revealed.

“We released the villagers and led them to our ship. Once my grandfather thought they were safe, he decided to do one last inspection on the pirate ship, to make sure none of them had escaped, and then ... That filthy man attacked him from behind and shot him!”

As the admiral's grandson was constantly traveling alongside them, Yuri had the opportunity to get acquainted with his grandfather's crew. From the moment he saw him, this stranger inspired him with nothing but mistrust. He could never guess why his grandfather admitted him as part of his team.

"I asked for help, but no one paid any attention to me," he admitted, forcing himself to hold back the tears of rage and helplessness. "Later, they arrested me, they took me to the murderer and he ordered them to kill me.”

Little Yuri realized too late that the stranger was the leader of a mutiny, managing to convince Nikolai Plisetsky's men to rebel against him.

In a way, he was grateful that his grandfather had not lived to face the pain of the betrayal of his entire team, whom he came to love and regard as part of his own family. And so Yuri let them know. He yelled, claimed, and insulted them, fighting uselessly to free himself. Of course, some of them felt guilty, especially when the leader pointed out that they could not leave any witnesses alive, so Yuri had to be disposed of. In the end, as no one dared to kill their former captain's grandson, it was decided to throw him overboard and let the sea do the dirty work. What they did not count on was that the boy possessed an iron will and an immense thirst for revenge, qualities that kept him alive and that to date, reinforced his determination.

“My grandfather was a great man and those bastards betrayed him. As much as I fought for someone to listen, no one believed me!” He exclaimed, impregnating his words with all the hatred accumulated over the years. Then he focused exclusively on Viktor, too absorbed in his own grief to notice that his expression was severe, or that Christophe was watching his friend warily. “You asked me why I want to join you and this is why. They say you hate the navy, and the feeling is more than mutual. I want justice for my grandfather, I want to make them pay ... I want the murderer to suffer and receive what he deserves! If anyone can help me, it's you.”

Viktor was silent, his gaze shadowed and not the slightest hint of his carefree demeanor prior to the conversation. Listening to the blonde stirred something inside him, unearthing the pain over the loss of his own family that he could never fully overcome. Anger, helplessness, frustration ... all those emotions were a constant that he shared with the most recent member of his crew.

“What is your name?” The captain cautiously asked.

“Yuri Plisetsky.”

Both captain and second-in-command were surprised, only managing to stare at him in disbelief.

“We found out about the incident” Chris spoke first. “Admiral Nikolai Plisetsky was highly respected and the news of how a pirate mortally wounded him while trying to escape after his ship was stopped, made a lot of noise in the public. To make the tragedy worse, it was said that the same pirate used the admiral's grandson as a human shield, and that the boy ended up drowning in the sea …”

“Lies!” interrupted the aforementioned “All that is pure bullshit! Trash they invented to cover their dirty trails!”

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time they did something like that," Viktor expressed, outlining a bitter smile. "It's something we've had to deal with. Isn't that true, Chris?”

“It would seem that you are indeed one of us” agreed the older blonde. “As soon as you meet the rest, you will see you are not the only one who has had problems with authority. Either way, I'd like to investigate further, just as a precaution.”

Viktor nodded, entertained in stroking the golden surface of the conch, losing himself in his memories for a few minutes as Chris and Yuri continued their conversation. The pirate envisioned himself as a scared but angry young man eager to punish the person responsible for the death of his parents. A wave of anguish washed over him and instinctively, he brought the conch to his lips, barely whispering to it, so the other two wouldn't hear him.

_‘Vitya? Do you need me?’_

As soon as he heard that voice, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am fine now. Thank you very much, Yuuri …”

The younger blonde turned to look at him upon hearing his name. Viktor smiled helplessly.

“I guess having two crew members with the same name could be tricky” he said amused, to which Chris shrugged and Yuri raised an eyebrow. “We will deal with that later. More importantly, I know it may be hard for you, but ... can you tell me something about the man who murdered your grandfather?”

"His name was Raleigh," Yuri counted with a grimace of displeasure, without noticing the change in the face of his captain, who recognized the name immediately. "He was a horrible man. He was always the first to respond to my grandfather's orders, although I never believed him. There was something about him that I didn't like, and in the end I was right.” he confessed, disgusted with himself, as if he was actually responsible for the incident. “He had only a few weeks since he joined my grandfather's crew and I don't know how he did it , but he managed to brainwash the rest of the team and convince them to riot.”

“Did he have a scar, or a mark on his face?” Viktor asked, standing up, not hiding his unease, Yuri hesitated, distrustful of his sudden interest.

“I will never forget him” he assured, suddenly feeling the urge to hit something to vent his anger. “His hair was brown and his eyes were black and dull, and from temple to chin, a scar ran through his face. I don't know how he got it, but I hope it was painful.”

Viktor leaned against the desk and made a choked sound. Worried, Chris rushed over to him, fearing he was going to pass out. The silver-haired one shook his head and waved him away.

“Chris, please leave us alone.”

“But …” he began to speak, falling silent when he noticed his captain's gaze and finally obeyed, not without stopping to contemplate them both before leaving the cabin.

After inhaling and exhaling several times to compose himself, Viktor ran a hand through his hair, pretending he wasn't about to break down.

“I have to tell you something” he warned the most recent member of his crew. “Follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of SaraxMila, which will be a recurring couple in the story. We'll see more of their story later, as well as of the other crew members. I know you already want to see Yuuri, but that will have to wait a little longer ... or maybe not ??? 
> 
> Thanks a lot for the hits, kudos and comments. And, as always, english is not my main language, so if you notice a mistake, please let me know so I can correct it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!


	5. Farce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your grandfather did try to help me. Even if he failed to keep his promise, I appreciate that at least he believed me. And I'm going to repay him and you. ”He extended his hand to the blonde. “From today on, as a member of my crew, you will have my protection and my trust. And I promise, I will do everything in my power so that you can take revenge.”
> 
> Yuri meets some new friends, gets food, and discovers a secret.

With the certainty that Nikiforov would not send him away, Yuri allowed himself to examine the cabin in detail. It served as both a room and an office, revealed by the huge oak desk and the numerous scrolls and maps that covered it, and next to these, he saw the golden conch shell that had caused him so much trouble before, carefully placed on a velvet cushion as if it were some valious jewel instead of a simple trinket that could be found on any beach.

Why Nikiforov gave such importance to this particular object, was unknown to Yuri.

The young man continued to scan the site with and something else caught his attention. Next to the captain's bed, a large bathtub lay nailed to the floor. As soon as he saw it, Yuri shook his head to block out the unpleasant images that his mind provided.

_"So the fish fetish thing was true’_ thought the blond, both disgusted and disturbed.

“Here.”

Viktor’s voice brought him back to reality. They stopped at the rear of the cabin, in front of a portrait showing a happy couple. Man and woman were smiling and even if it was just a painting, the artist succeeded in capturing the love and joy they radiated. Viktor carefully lifted it down and Yuri realized that the portrait was hiding a secret compartment.

“I got to know your grandfather” the pirate spoke. “Back then I didn't have my ship or my crew, so I had to work alone. I infiltrated his ship to destroy it and then escaped by throwing myself into the sea” he counted with a smile. “He must have thought I was in danger, because he went after me without hesitation.”

Yuri imagined the scene and when he visualized her grandfather's face, he almost teared up. Nikolai would definitely have done something like that, as he always valued the safety and well-being of others above his own, one of the many reasons his grandson admired him.

“I talked to him and he listened without judging me or being carried away by rumors. He confessed that he was concerned about the growing corruption in the navy and promised to investigate the murder of my parents and make the responsible pay. I didn’t believe him. I admit I was very prejudiced against navy officers. However, I now realize that Nikolai Plisetsky tried to keep his promise.”

Viktor extracted a series of files and documents from the hidden compartment and spread them on his bed so that Yuri could contemplate them all. They were detailed files of men and women who had served the Navy, and who as another point in common, had died. Yuri raised his eyebrows, finding that too unusual.

“It's quite odd, right?” Viktor guessed what the newest member of his group was thinking. “Twenty-seven men and women, all killed in different ways, from accidents to suicides to natural causes, in less than ten years. But that's not the only thing that unites them.”

He pointed to a particular file and Yuri tensed and clenched his fists tightly. Raleigh's was also among the archives, and the blond had to resist the urge to tear it up.

“All of them were part of the squad of sailors that boarded my parents' ship and then killed them. His officer in charge, was Raleigh, who was unfortunately killed in action about two years ago”

“Wait ... what?” He interrupted, confused. “What do you mean ‘dead’?”

"It's too much of a coincidence, I know," Viktor nodded, after which he indicated another file. "Then, I started tying up loose ends. He was the first member of the Raleigh crew to die. It happened about six months after it was discovered that I was still alive. And from there …”

“Everyone else?” Yuri questioned, completely incredulous. "That sucks! How come nobody noticed?”

“It's like I told you, aside from the fact that they were commanded by the same officer and their participation in the murder of my parents ... They have nothing in common. If they were investigated at all, it was as isolated incidents. Although in some cases, there was nothing to investigate” he ran his index finger over a few with the legend ‘natural death’. “And the ones that were researched... let's just say I doubt they did a good job.”

I was more than expected. Since corruption was more than widespread in the Navy, it was common within the organization’s members to cover each other so that their crimes did not come to light. Yuri was aware of it, hence why no one believed him when he tried to accuse the sailors themselves as responsibles for the death of his grandfather. They shifted him from officer to officer and eventually labeled him an impostor, arguing that the "real" Yuri Plisetsky drowned in the ocean and he was just an orphan trying to take advantage of the tragedy. They put him in an orphanage and the case was closed.

“You being here is a very valuable clue.”

Viktor’s statement brought him back to reality and made him raise an eyebrow in mistrust.

“The ‘death’ of Raleigh... “ he stated sarcastically, “I had not established the connection, but now that I think about it, it happened some time after the death of your grandfather. If you tried to tell others what really happened, he must have found out you survived.”

“But nobody listened to me” the blond intervened, reliving once again the familiar rage that had eaten him ever since. Viktor sighed and shook his head.

“My family's reputation was ruined and I was left with no one to turn to” he explained, and his gaze fell for a few moments on the conch on the desk. “Well, with almost no one. I became a pirate because I thought it would be easier to get revenge that way. However, I didn’t consider that for everyone, my decision would be the confirmation of Raleigh's lies, nor that I would condemn the little credibility I had left” he expressed bitterly, lowering his head and recovering in just a few seconds. “So, picture this: I was ... I am classified as a criminal. My word meant nothing compared to that of an officer, while your grandfather was well known and respected by many. It is very likely that if you had continued insisting, sooner or later someone would end up believing you and delving into the incident, discovering what really happened and who the real culprits were.”

“And why not better get rid of me, instead of letting me rot in a shitty hospice?” Yuri questioned, again surprising Viktor by his insight.

“Because it would have been too suspicious, a very convenient coincidence” completed the blue-eyed man. “Suddenly a child appears claiming to be the grandson of Admiral Nikolai Plisetsky, with a detailed history of the incident ... and soon after, the aforementioned dies? I don't know, no matter how hard they tried to cover it up, it would arouse curiosity in some. Also, if your grandfather inquired about him, Raleigh must have felt threatened.”

Yuri bit his lip, wishing more than ever to have that disgusting assassin in front of him and to be able to punch him right into his horrid face. Nikolai was a righteous man, so he may have admitted Raleigh to his crew not only to keep an eye on him, but also because he was hoping to meet him and see what kind of person he was before delivering his verdict and reporting him if necessary.

_‘My grandfather wanted to give him a chance and that bastard paid him by betraying him’ thought the angry young man._

"Thanks to you, I finally have a piece to this twisted puzzle," Viktor reported with pleasure. "Raleigh's sudden death always made no sense to me, but now I can see it for what it really is: a farce.”

The blond remained stunned, assimilating the unexpected revelation and not knowing what to say.

“Chris tried to convince me that life and fate claimed punished Raleigh for his crimes, but I had doubts, especially because after his death, the casualties among the members of his old crew did not stop.”

“Wait!” Yuri exclaimed, startled. "I mean ... is he really alive?" he pronounced with difficulty.

"It was obvious, I don't know how I didn't see it before," Viktor lamented, concentrating on the files once more. "My theory is that he faked his death to avoid accusations. After all, no one would point to a deceased as responsible for the other deaths; and thus, he would be free to act from the shadows, like a sinister puppeteer, controlling everything at will ... while making fun of us and our attempts to find him!” He blurted out, finally shedding his mask of apparent calm to openly show his anger, rampaging through the files and throwing them on the ground. Yuri Plisetsky did not flinch, he was already too familiar with that sentiment, so his captain's outburst did not represent anything new. Viktor closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled several times to calm himself, running a hand through his hair. “I have spent ten years gathering information and tracking him down. With his ‘death’, I thought I had lost my chance for revenge and justice, but I can see that I was giving up too soon and this is far from over yet.”

Yuri couldn’t help but agree. Honestly, discovering that he and Nikiforov shared a common enemy was a very welcomed surprise. Viktor gave him a smile and took a couple of steps forward, stopping right in front of him.

“Your grandfather did try to help me. Even if he failed to keep his promise, I appreciate that at least he believed me. And I'm going to repay him and you. ”He extended his hand to the blonde. “From today on, as a member of my crew, you will have my protection and my trust. And I promise, I will do everything in my power so that you can take revenge.”

That oath was much more than Yuri ever thought to obtain and by itself, was enough to renew his hopes. Determined, he nodded and shook the pirate's hand, indicating without words that he agreed and would do everything on his part to make the man who had ruined their lives pay for his crimes.

“I'll introduce you to the rest of your companions, the ones on the ship, I mean” he clarified, amused. “I have to warn you, some of them can be a bit difficult to deal with, which is understandable given their circumstances. I imagine they must already be in the dining room ... “ he added, more to himself, brooding. The mention of ‘the dining room’ was enough to remind the blonde and his stomach, he had been since the night before without eating a bite. “But first ... be a good boy and order this, okay?”

“Ah?” stammered the blond, looking at the papers scattered on the floor that Nikiforov threw earlier in the middle of his outburst of anger. “And why the hell do I have to? It was you who dropped these things!”

“Consider it a test to verify how good you are at following orders. If I were you, I would hurry. Today is Emil's turn in the kitchen and we have fresh ingredients, which means the food will be over soon.”

Grumbling and cursing under his breath, the blonde got to work, while his captain saw him very entertained, sure that the angry little boy would fit in perfectly with the others.

*******

“Give me more food!”

Seven pairs of eyes fell on the young blonde, who was already on his third plate. It had been a long time since he had eaten his fill and he was determined to make the most of it as possible. The menu consisted of a meat stew with vegetables, rice and white bread. Exquisite delicacies from the point of view of someone who spent months surviving on leftovers, stale bread, and even garbage dumps when money was scarce and hunger was great.

“Don't you know that the cutlery on the table is not for decoration only ?”

“Mickey, stop. Let him eat in peace, he's not hurting anyone.”

Before leading him to the dining room, Viktor took it upon himself to give him snippets of the others' stories. Still focused on eating, Yuri noticed siblings Michelle and Sara Crispino. His father was a renowned apothecary and his mother a talented surgeon. For refusing to pay the protection fee that a group of corrupt sailors demanded, they set fire to the family clinic. The brothers and their mother managed to escape, but their father was killed in the fire.

“Personally, I like your enthusiasm,” praised a young man with messy brown hair. “As a cook, it means that you like my food and that makes me very happy. So go ahead! Eat all you want.”

Emil Nekola, was a navy cadet who tried to denounce the abuses committed by his superiors and who was ambushed the night before a trial against an officer in which he had to testify and left for dead after being given a terrible beating. Fortunately, Sara and Michelle found him and thanks to the girl's medical skills, they saved his life.

“Actually, we are all happy to enjoy something other than fish” said Mila, smiling. “Altought I wish we hadn't lost the apples …”

Mila Babicheva, was the daughter of a respected gunner and explosives expert who was murdered for refusing to participate in an attack orchestrated by dissatisfied sailors, against a rival officer, thus taking away his only family.

“You forget, if we lost the apples was because of him” Georgi chimed in, pointing to the little blonde, who was too busy choking on a piece of bread to pay him any attention. “Not to mention that we were almost caught on a simple resupply mission. A child shouldn't be here.”

Georgi Popovich was a proud Naval Academy student with a bright future: first in his class and with a fiancée he deeply loved ... it all ended in the worst possible way when he was wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit; so he was expelled, dumped by his girlfriend and sent to prison. Unable to prove his innocence, he was forced to escape and in despair, he was about to throw himself off a bridge, thank goodness Viktor found him and made him reconsider.

“I'm not a kid!” the aforementioned defended himself, although as his mouth was full, his claim sounded more like "Dim nod a did", completed with a grimace of disgust on the part of Michelle and discreet giggles from Sara and Mila.

“I thought if anyone would object, it would be you, Chris” Georgi continued.

Christophe Giacometti, was the son of a popular and very famous stage actress who had the misfortune to attract unwanted attention. An important captain wanted to woo her and convince her to become his lover, as she rejected him, he murdered her in cold blood. Her death was listed as a suicide and never investigated. Not wanting to be a burden to his older sisters, who were already going through enough difficulties due to the scandal as a result of their mother’s death, Chris escaped and joined a group of pirates, where he met and befriended his current captain.

“There is no one on land or in the ocean who is able to resist Viktor's charms and not let himself be convinced by him,” he replied flirtatiously, and it was Mickey's turn to almost choke on his food.

In response, Nikiforov winked at him and Chris blew him a kiss. The captain proceeded to serve two plates of stew and grab a cardboard box full of goodies from the cupboard.

“Aren't you going to join us?” Emil asked, genuinely curious.

“You already know he usually doesn’t eat with us, why are you surprised?” Mickey questioned reluctantly in turn, earning a bad look from his sister, which he decided to ignore.

“I'm sorry guys” the captain apologized, placing the provisions on a tray, and Yuri could see he was wearing the conch around his neck again. “But you know how this is…”

“Stop rubbing your good luck right into our faces!” Georgi claimed, and Mila patted him gently on the back to comfort him.

“Well, then I am counting on you to update the new kid” he pointed Yuri out, purposely using a term he was sure would irritate Plisetsky, who in effect snorted. “Chris is in charge, if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

After which he withdrew, humming a song.

“What the hell was that?” Yuri snapped.

“Just Viktor being Viktor” Mila joked, twisting Michelle's fingers when he tried to prevent her from holding her sister's hand. “You'll get used to it. We all did, or well… almost all of us did” she added, looking at Mickey, and he stopped rubbing his hand in favor of putting on a grim face and shaking his head.

"Mickey doesn't like to talk about it," Sara said. "Although we can all get a very clear idea of what he saw ... but you will have to remain in doubt, at least until you are of legal age.”

_‘I bet it had to do with Nikiforov and the fish’_ Yuri shivered with distaste, feeling a pang of empathy that died the instant Michelle recovered and pointed at him accusingly.

“Child or not, let's make things clear…” he threatened him, almost embedding his index finger in his face. “Rule number one! Sara is my sister,” he informed, with special emphasis on the ‘my’ and encircling the aforementioned with his free arm. The girl just rolled her eyes. “So if you try to get too close to her ... Ouch!”

Annoyed, Yuri bit him, pleased to silence him. Beside him, Mila laughed.

“I really like you” said the girl.

“Yes, yes! We'll be the best of friends” Emil said absently, bumping his fist into Mila's and wincing a little because she used too much force.

“Aren’t you supposed to put order right now?”

At Georgi's suggestion, Chris shrugged and poured himself more wine, watching the scene amusedly.

“Let them get to know each other. As long as no one threatens to gouge someone's eye, it'll be fine.”

*******

Fortunately, the discussion didn’t last long and once the meal was over, Yuri had to face his new reality. Being the new one, his duties would mainly consist of keeping the deck clean, helping the shift manager in the kitchen, and taking care of Makkachin.

“Who the heck is Makkachin?”

A loud bark put him on alert and his first instinct was to back off, which proved too late, because a huge brown dog was quick to pounce on him, licking his whole face.

“It's Viktor's dog” Chris explained, not bothering to push the dog away. “He adores Makkachin, so I recommend you treat him well.”

_‘I hate dogs!"_ Yuri thought, running a hand over his face to wipe off the dog’s saliva, while Makkachin innocently sat beside him, its tongue sticking out.

“As you may have already noticed, some of Viktor's actions may seem ... illogical at first glance. Most of the time you should just let him be,” he advised, and yet Yuri heard the hidden warning under Christophe's kind tone. “Viktor trusts us and we trust him. He doesn't accept just anyone, so you can consider yourself very lucky. We can tolerate many things, but betrayal is unforgivable. Everything that happens or what you see here is strictly confidential and you are absolutely prohibited from disclosing it. You must be very capable of keeping a secret. Do you understand?”

"I'm not a snitch," Yuri defended himself, frowning. "Besides, I'm one of you now. It took me a very long time to find Nikiforov and I'm not going to ruin this for any reason.

Christophe looked at him in amazement and confusion, after which he laughed heartily.

“Of course” agreed the second in command. “I thought it was convenient to make it clear, just in case. Either way, I assume that Viktor will talk to you and inform you of... some other details” he expressed vaguely and coughing to clear his throat. “Since we are on the same page, your first mission will be to clean the deck” he indicated a bucket and a mop next to the main pole. “When you're done, go to the cellar. Sara and Mila are supposed to be in charge of checking the inventory… ” He paused, considering it for a moment “You know what? Once you’re done cleaning you can go and get some rest. I imagine it's been a long day for you” Chris finished, and then retired.

Resigned and growling under his breath, Yuri suppressed the urge to kick the bucket and chose to carry out the assignment instead. Being ordered to clean was nothing new, the big difference was that in this case, they did not use verbal threats or promises to beat him or to leave him without dinner if he did not finish on time.

_’Whatever, the cupboard is not locked, so if they get too harsh I can steal some …’_

“Oi! "He interrupted his mental approach to yell at the dog, who was very entertained chasing the mop. "Stop doing that! I'm supposed to clean up and you're making it all dirty” he scolded Makkachin, and the dog just looked at him, cocking his head. “That's why I prefer cats. Don't you have a leash or something?”

As if he had understood his words, Makkachin barked and ran off, almost running over him. The angry blonde managed to jump back and avoided being hit by the overexcited poodle, who returned minutes later with a rope in his snout, depositing it at the human's feet, wagging its tail happily as if waiting to be congratulated.

"Wow, so you're not that stupid after all," Yuri agreed, pleased. However, the joy did not last long, because the moment he tried to place the rope around Makkachin's neck, the dog reacted, biting the other end and starting to pull it. “Enough! Stop! You... dumb dog!”

Yuri forgot his that he was supposed to clean, dedicating exclusively to pursue the brown dog all over the deck. Makkachin was more than pleased to have a new playmate, though he stopped short as he passed a specific area on the deck. The dog raised its head and sniffed the air, renewing its enthusiasm and rushing over the edge of the ship and for a few seconds, Yuri feared that it would be just as reckless as its owner and would throw itself into the sea. To his surprise, Makkachin used his muzzle to lift a concealed safe, thus uncovering a hidden door, and then calmly descended a series of steps.

Hesitantly, Yuri looked out, debating whether to follow it or not, opting for the second option and finding that very strange. What was a ladder doing in such an unusual place?

Corroborating his questioning, a wave crashed into the boat, splashing it and causing him to hold on to the railing more tightly from the shock.

“See? You definitely haven't lost your touch at all.”

Listening to Nikiforov gave him the courage to move on, in the form of immense curiosity. It was obvious the pirate was not alone.

“Of course Makkachin is glad to see you,” a pause, accompanied by a bark. “And so am I, but that shouldn't be news to you, my Yuuri …”

The blonde thought he was alluded to and froze again, sure that Viktor had discovered him, although the blue-eyed man's laugh made it clear it was not the case. Determined to unravel the mystery, he was eventually able to spot Nikiforov at the bottom of the ladder, sitting on a small platform jutting out from the end of the ship. At his side, was his faithful poodle and stroking Makkachin's head, was a boy with tousled and short black hair. The stranger was bare-chested, proudly wearing a magnificent pearl necklace. His wrists were decorated with gold bracelets with precious stones and thanks to the reflection of the light, Yuri noticed that he also wore a simple golden ring on his right hand.

“So ... wouldn't you like to do me the favor of keeping me company?” Viktor asked, extending his hand to gently touch the other's cheek, and both his action and his words were for Yuri the confirmation that the mysterious person was the pirate’s lover. “It's still a long trip until we return home, and I don't want to wait any longer to hold you in my arms.”

The stranger blushed and moved his lips, uttering words that Yuri inexplicably couldn't hear, but the pirate could.

“No! I want you now,” he complained with a pout, leaving his seductive romantic act to show himself as a child who was denied a whim. “Even with your extraordinary abilities, reaching the island will take us hours and it's don’t want to be without you any longer.”

The young man intertwined his fingers, showing his nervousness, although his shy smile gave away that he was not necessarily uncomfortable with the captain's proposal. Just as Nikiforov's lover answered him, Makkachin cut them off with a bark and they both turned to see the disgusted blonde.

“What are you doing here?” Viktor questioned sternly, moving to stand between Yuri and his lover, who was staring at the newest member of the crew with wide eyes. "Didn’t Chris give you work to do?"

Instead of answering him, Yuri kept his eyes fixed on the mysterious lover, noticing some details that initially he did not see. The stranger's ears were more like little fins. His neck had a series of indentations that immediately made him think of the gills of a fish. Even if Viktor tried to cover it, the blonde could see that from the waist down, instead of having legs, the stranger was covered in blue scales that formed a fin.

“A mermaid …” the perplexed blonde finally uttered, shaking his head, unable to believe what he saw despite the fact that it was in front of him. “It's a mermaid!”

The unexpected scream startled the creature, and anticipating it, Viktor rushed to pull it close, wrapping his arms around it and whispering something in a low tone that seemed to calm it

“Actually, the appropriate term is ‘merman’ “ the captain spoke, deciding that there was no point in hiding it any longer. “And I would appreciate if you didn't yell, you’re making him nervous.”

“I am making _it_ nervous?” he protested, offended and suddenly shutting up, not being able to think of how to continue with the allegation.

Since childhood and through the work of his grandfather, Yuri was more than familiar with the old legends of the sea, especially those of the mermaids, beings half human and half fish who sought to seduce sailors, sending them to premature death by drowning them in the raging waters. It was said that if someone managed to get hold of the heart of one of those creatures, they would obtain all kinds of powers, some sources even cited that they would acquire eternal life. However, these creatures were described as mistrustful, selfish and vain, so despite their beauty …

“Ah?” stammered the blond, focusing his attention on the merman once more, who lay huddled against Nikiforov.

Now that he could see it well, the merman was not at all like the legends described his kind. In fact, according to Yuri, his appearance was quite ordinary and he would easily pass as a normal human. And another thing …

“Why, is he fat?”

“If you don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing!” the pirate scolded him, and the merman moved his lips, calling the silver-haired man, and Yuri couldn't hear him. “No, no, no! Yuuri! Of course not. For me you are beautiful, perfect, divine ... what does it matter if you’ve gained a little weight since we met?” based on the expression of the creature, it was more than obvious that the comment annoyed him rather than comforting thim. And as Viktor could not see he was sinking deeper and deeper, he keep talking. “Using your powers requires too much energy, so it's preferable that you…”

Angry, the merman frowned and pushed him, throwing himself into the sea without Nikiforov being able to stop him, all amid Makkachin's barking and the puzzled gaze of Yuri, who was still struggling to assimilate what he had just witnessed. Eventually, Nikiforov turned to him and the blonde noticed that the captain was very mad.

“You ... I swear I'm going to make you clean the whole ship until you come of age!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update and finally Yuuri's long-awaited entry. I know that maybe it wasn’t what you expected, but I could not resist. Are there any theories as to why Viktor can hear it and Yuri can't? In the next chapter we will learn more about mermaids and we will retake part of the story between Viktor and Yuuri that was seen in the prologue. 
> 
> I have a confession to make. Originally this chapter was going to be posted during the past weekend, however… I bought the new Hyrule Warriors game, got stuck playing it and kinda lost the notion of time. So… yeah. I’m deeply sorry. Hopefully this will make up for the wait. 
> 
> Fun fact: As part of the research work to develop the story, I read a little about pirates and corsairs and decided that Viktor's ship is a sloop, a light, fast ship that was highly appreciated by pirates and pirates. corsairs.


	6. EXTRA: Counterflow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why are you so nice to me?” Viktor asked and although the other one moved, he did not wake up. It was easy to deduce that he spent the night awake, searching. “I don't understand why …”
> 
> Viktor and Yuuri's tale continues: Viktor almost drowns (again) and is rescued (yet again).

“Oi! Please come out! I'm so sorry I scared you! I swear I'm not going to hurt you!”

Viktor had been on the beach for a long time yelling at the sea, convinced that his unexpected benefactor could hear him from his hiding place.

“Come on please, boy! Or maybe you’re actually a girl?” he asked himself. “It doesn't matter. I just want to talk and thank you for helping me!”

No one answered him. Viktor sighed reluctantly and sat into the sand. It had already been a week since he discovered the identity of his savior and since then, the other one had been avoiding him, an action that greatly irritated Viktor.

“I don't understand why you helped me just to ignore me later,” he grumbled, pouting. "Is it because I accidentally told you ugly? Well, I take that back!”

He continued to relive the encounter in his mind, recreating the other's face over and over again, coming to the conclusion that despite not being a human, he possessed considerable appeal. Soft and smooth looking white skin, big expressive eyes framed by long lashes and lustrous black hair ... Definitely if combed, it would look much better.

A wave splashed him, bringing him back to reality. Even if lying there was very nice, he had other business to attend to.

He set off until he reached a grove in the center of the island. Viktor stepped under a tall tree and pulled some lianas, lowering a kind of log frame. The satisfied young man smiled, satisfied, and got to work.

He hadn’t forgotten that he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, and returning home was a priority. Instinctively, he thought of the murderer disguised as a sailor who took the lives of her parents and his stomach twisted with genuine hatred.

With revenge as his goal, he began to work. Fortunately, he was able to improvise some tools with the help of sharp rocks in order to build a raft.

The process was arduous and slow, and on several occasions he was on the point of giving up. However, all Viktor had to do was remember his loss, for his desire for revenge to be renewed and thus regain his determination.

Every so often, he would pause and inspect his surroundings, wishing to see the chocolate-eyed merman, but that didn’t happen. Viktor was confused. He could sense that he was shy by nature, but still did not understand his behavior. Why did he save him in the first place? In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he conceded it was a fluke.

Viktor was very aware of the tales that spoke of mermaids, mythological creatures that turned out to be real. What other aspects of them were also true? Perhaps they really cried pearls? Or that by feeding on their flesh and blood, one could obtain eternal life? Was their voice so wonderful as to seduce and hypnotise the most skilled sailors, to the point of making them forget about everything and destroy their boats?

_"I would have to listen to it first, though"_ Viktor thought, rectifying seconds later _"No, I think I already did."_

During their first and last meeting, the merman had sung to him. It was a sound unlike anything Viktor had ever experienced before, something unique and wonderful that soothed his soul and filled him with peace, and made him want to hear more.

The blue-eyed young man caught himself humming part of the creature's song, and berated himself for acting so reckless. Perhaps, if he had been a little more patient, the merman would eventually have been encouraged to introduce himself and even interact with him. However, that apparently could no longer be since, due to his curiosity, he ended up driving him away.

_"Well, I guess that's all"_ he lamented mentally and for some strange reason, he suddenly felt very sad. _"At least, I will have a very interesting story to tell when I get out of here."_

*******

It took Viktor three days to build and prepare the raft, and another two to gather the necessary supplies for his trip.

He wove baskets with vegetable fibers to transport fruits, and improvised containers with empty coconuts to store fresh water. If he was lucky, the provisions should be enough to last about two weeks, by which time he would either reach the mainland or be found by a ship. Luckily, he had his father's compass and the knowledge he instilled in him about navigation.

Viktor remembered those happy times with his family and once again, he had to face the reality that his life would never be the same again and his sadness was so great that he suffered an intense wave of discomfort . His throat closed, which added to the heavy tightness in his chest led him to believe he was about to drown. Somehow he managed to normalize his heavy breathing and swallow hard, making a sound that made him think of a wounded animal. Dazed, he required sitting on the sand until his surroundings stopped spinning and the dizziness subsided. There was no way he could collapse, not when the killer was still free.

His purpose was simple: going to a populated place from where he could move to his hometown and once there, tell the truth about the death of his parents. The Nikiforov surname was well known and provided with important contacts, some of whom held important positions within the Navy itself. Surely one of them, higher in rank than the person responsible for the crime, would listen to him and give him their support, taking care to give Viktor the justice he so longed for.

Fortunately, the sea was calm. Viktor dragged his raft onto the beach, where he took care to check which way the wind was blowing and used his compass to get his bearings.

Before leaving, Viktor patted the cover of his father's latest gift and allowed himself a brief moment of weakness.

“I'm scared, I admit it,” he said, bringing the compass to his lips. “This will be the first time I navigate alone and neither you nor my mother will be by my side to guide me. But even if I have everything against me, I have to do it!”

Since staying there meant letting that vile and mean man who took everything away from him have his way, and that Viktor wasn’t going to allow it.

That thought gave him the missing motivation and without showing the slightest hint of fear or doubt, he entered the sea, riding the waves and avoiding being hit by random rocks every now and then with the help of a rudimentary paddle.

An especially high wave surprised him by directly hitting him, drenching him completely, despite which Viktor held his ground.

“Okay, okay …” he said aloud, to convince himself. “I have everything under control.”

As he moved away from the mainland, the waters became more raging and the rocks more frequent. Viktor felt a chill. Considering how hostile the setting was, that he arrived on the island in one piece was a true miracle.

The intense tide hit the raft, diverting it from its course and as much as Viktor tried to retake it, it was impossible. The surf was so strong that the silver-haired young man feared it would capsize him, especially after passing over a series of rocks.

His heart pounded, realizing that sailing around in such precarious conditions amounted to suicide. And honestly, even an experienced captain on a well-conditioned boat would have trouble navigating obstacles and riding the swell. For a galleon or other large ship, it would be impossible to travel there without damage due to the many rocks and ledges in the sea, while a small ship would be exposed to being capsized by the powerful and high waves.

A powerful jolt made him lose his oar. Viktor didn't even bother trying to retrieve it, by now he was just holding on to his little boat as best he could. No sooner did one wave hit him when another was building up and crashing down on him.

Viktor let out a cry as he spotted a large rock ledge ahead. Driven by survival instinct, he threw himself into the sea just seconds after the raft collided with the formation and shattered. Yet Viktor knew that he was far from safe. As soon as he was able to swim to the surface for air, the violent currents would submerge him again. It would be a matter of time before he was exhausted and ended up drowning. Still, he kicked and fumbled desperately, unwilling to give up. If only he could hold out long enough to get back to the island ...

One of the logs from the now broken raft, washed away by the tide, hit him on the head and pushed him towards the rocks. Stunned by the impact, Viktor stopped moving and vaguely registered something was approaching speeding from the depths. That "something" held him around the waist with one hand, while with the other he made a quick gesture that instantly calmed the churning waters.

_"It's you"_ Viktor wanted to tell him, acknowledging the merman that saved his life earlier, but a coughing fit stopped him.

The creature regarded him with obvious concern and with all the care it was capable of, transported him back to the beach of the island, where Viktor collapsed breathing heavily, trying to recover all the lost air. His entire body ached, although the discomfort was especially intense in the back of his neck and in his left elbow. He couldn't even fully extend his arm.

The merman stayed by his side, for which Viktor thanked him with a weak but genuine smile. The other finally perked up and wanting to comfort him, stroked his head, frowning when he saw traces of blood between his fingers.

"Trust me, it could have been a lot worse" he tried to joke, not convincing his unexpected savior.

After a few minutes in which the creature seemed to struggle with itself, it opened its mouth and began to sing. Viktor held his breath in wonder. It was a different melody than the one he heard that time in the cave, but just as beautiful. And he soon realized that it was much more than just a song. Little by little, the pain caused by his injuries diminished until it was no more than a slight discomfort.  
The merman finished his song and smiled at the confused human, uttering something that by the movement of his lips meant "don't worry" and then he disappeared throwing himself in a wave.

“Wait! Don’t go…”

Viktor stopped and shrugged on himself. Even if the pain wasn't that intense anymore, he was still hurting and clearly, it would take a long time to heal. Despite that, his shattered pride poured more into him. Dwarfed and defeated, he burst into tears, realizing that leaving that island would be impossible. If he built another raft, he was more than likely to be shipwrecked again. Even if he did manage to create some signal and have a ship see it, what captain in his right mind would expose his ship and crew to such treacherous waters?

"It's over, it's over," he muttered, pounding the sand with his fist. "I'm alone. I give up…”

Exhausted and unable to do anything other than cry and lament, he fell asleep.

*******

Viktor slowly opened his eyes, dazzled by the evening light.

His first instinct was to get up, which he failed due to the pain. He grumbled. The effects of the merman song must have worn off.

The young man complained when experiencing a strong burning in his back and arched abruptly, paralyzing when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up to discover the merman beside him. He was holding half a shell with a kind of ointment that he applied to his wounds. Viktor was silent, allowing him to work, and noticed that the burning was followed by a numbness that made his discomfort disappear, so that he was finally able to sit up on the sand.

“You .... How? I mean…” he stammered, sorry that the first words to his savior were incoherent babbling. Luckily the merman did not seem to take it the wrong way, as he was staring at the stunned human. Although his expression transformed, frowning as he felt Viktor's elbow. The joint was considerably swollen and the young man winced and jerked away.

Instead of getting angry, the merman brought the other half of the shell to him and offered it to him, apparently forgetting that the other could not hear him, because he gave up moving his lips to gesture, hoping to make himself understood.

“Do you want me to drink it?” Viktor asked, and the dark-haired one nodded vigorously.

He proceeded to examine the contents of the makeshift container. It was a suspicious thick substance whose color was of a reddish brown. A pungent smell flooded the human's nostrils and he invariably remembered when he was a child and his mother would chase him around the mansion to make him drink a horrible cod liver syrup. He had a chill.

“No, thank you” he rejected it sharply, giving him back what he supposed was a medicine, a disgusting medicine. “I appreciate your good intentions, but ... it is not necessary.”

The merman arched a brow and moved his lips, forming a single word that Viktor guessed perfectly: "coward."

“I'm not a coward!” He defended himself, pouting. "I'm cautious, it's something very different.”

The following sentence could also be intuited without problems "its good for you".

“That's what adults always say to convince you to try unpleasant things,'' he replied, crossing his arms which was counterproductive, since his elbow ached again from the sudden movement. The merman raised his eyebrows in alarm. "Really, nothing's wrong. I only need a couple of days of rest and I'll be as good as new. ”He forced himself to smile.“ Humans heal fast.”

The incredulous merman proceeded to offer him the medicine again, uttering a mute "please" which, combined with his pleading countenance, caused Viktor, for some mysterious reason, to blush.  
Sighing, the young man relented, entertaining himself by looking at the medicine and then tentatively bringing it to his lips. Viktor closed his eyes, held his breath so he didn't have to smell it ... and drank it in one sip. Indeed, the taste was horrible; oily, bitter and intense, like rotten fish. It took a great effort to swallow it without vomiting.

“What the hell was that?” Viktor complained when he was finally able to overcome the awful taste the remedy left in his mouth. Eating rotten fish would have been better.

The creature gave him an apologetic smile that meant "you don't want to know." Leaving that matter for peace, the dark-haired one recovered the ointment and applied it to Viktor's injured elbow, bandaging it with the help of some seaweed and herbs.

“It's true,” the young man recapped. “It's the second time you've saved my life and I haven't thanked you yet.”

His words seemed to make the merman nervous and Viktor sensed his intentions to escape, so he quickly grabbed him by the wrist.

"You can't just help me and then leave me without any explanation." The other lowered his gaze and Viktor regretted his severe tone. "What I mean is ... after what happened, I didn't want to be alone. At least not tonight. Wouldn’t you stay with me? Please, I promise I won't hurt you.

It was clear to Viktor that the merman was having an internal struggle, hesitating between leaving or staying by his side. Why would it be?

_"Sure, I bet he must have someone waiting for him"_ Viktor wondered. _"He doesn't have to be in the same situation as me."_

As he decided to release it, the other came to his own conclusion and unexpectedly took the human's hand, nodding shyly.

“Really ...?” He questioned without hiding his amazement, and the blush on the merman's cheeks is all the answer he needed.

Excited, he didn't think twice to jump on top of him and catch him in a big hug. The merman froze by the sudden display of affection and instantly, both of them were covered by a gigantic wave that was created practically from nothing. Viktor stared at him in puzzlement, coughing and spitting up the seawater he accidentally swallowed.

“What just happened?”

The merman shrugged, pretending didn’t do that on purpose.

_***_

Viktor returned to the cave that served as his refuge with his new friend following him from the water. And as soon as he entered, a growl echoed loud and clear from the cavern walls, evidencing his dilemma.

“I just remembered that I haven't eaten anything all day,” he expressed sadly, at the confused look of the merman.

The young man sighed reluctantly. All of his supplies were lost when the raft was destroyed, so if he wanted to feed himself, he would have to go out looking for food and honestly, he was too tired for it. Almost as if it could read his mind, the creature rushed to get his attention by tapping him on the leg, uttering something that Viktor couldn't hear.

The merman dove in a hurry, not giving Viktor time to ask him not to leave.

“Why do you always have to disappear like that?” He complained loudly, somewhat annoyed.

Fortunately, it did not take long for the creature to return with some fish that immediately was offered to the starving human.

“Wow! I was right, you are a very skilled fisherman,” he complimented, and the other blushed and shook his head, making the blue-eyed man laugh.“ And also, very cute.”

The merman began to babble and fumble awkwardly, and Viktor watched him in amusement. Who would have thought that mermaids were real and that he would have the opportunity to meet one of those beings? Which, by the way, was quite nice. Invariably, he visualized his mother. Irina loved mermaid tales, so surely she would have liked very much to meet ...

All of Viktor's joy was suddenly erased, being overwhelmed by sadness. What was worse, he noticed another fundamental detail that increased his grief.

“Oh no ... no, no, no ... I couldn't have lost it!” He exclaimed, startling the merman, as he rummaged through his clothes even though deep down, he knew that his fear was true. The compass ... No!”

He dropped to his knees and tears welled up in his eyes. The merman pushed himself out of the water, settling beside him, concern even if he didn't understand what was happening.

“It was the last gift my father gave me before…” Viktor bit his lip to hold back a sob. The merman placed his hand over his, as if to signal him to continue. “It's… a round, golden object. We use it to navigate and ... it has a letter ‘N’ engraved on it, because it is a family heirloom ... I must have lost it when my raft crashed into those rocks.”

The creature initially allowed him to vent, however he soon decided that he could not leave him so upset and proceeded to sing one of his songs. That soft, delicate murmur relaxed Viktor, easing his pain and plunging him into a deep sleep.

The merman carefully accommodated him and stroked his hair, bringing his face closer to the human only to reconsider and kiss his forehead instead of his lips, as he was originally going to do. After taking a quick look at him to confirm that he was well asleep, he disappeared into the waters.

****

*******

The next morning, Viktor woke up feeling rested and recovered. His elbow still bothered him, but the discomfort was far less intense compared to the day before.

The young man yawned and rubbed his eyes to stretch, noticing two fundamental differences in the cave. The first, next to him was the merman still asleep. He was submerged from the waist down in seawater, his head resting on a flat rock, like a pillow. Viktor smiled at him, relieved that he kept his promise and accompanied him. Trying to get up, he accidentally step on something. The second difference was the set of objects stacked next to him. Mirrors and pieces of glass, stones, snails, chains, broken watches, a broken vase and even a bracelet, all had in common that they were round pieces and some were gold.

The young man's heart melted with sheer tenderness. It was obvious what the creature tried to do.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Viktor asked and although the other one moved, he did not wake up. It was easy to deduce that he spent the night awake, searching. “I don't understand why …”

The rays of the sun filtered through the entrance of the cave and were reflected in some of the objects. Then Viktor saw it.

Half hidden among some colored pebbles was the Nikiforov heritage, his father's golden compass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some recap of Viktor and Yuuri´s story.
> 
> About mermaids: Even if more will be said about it later, I cannot resist taking the opportunity to talk a little about this particular point. Being creatures that inhabit the ocean, they use what they find there for their remedies and medicines. The salve that Yuuri used would be made from ground algae and the inner layers of the shells. The medicine on the other hand, as Viktor suspects, among other ingredients was made from mainly ground fish liver and bones.
> 
> Personally, my parents never gave me cod liver oil (maybe that's why I’m small ??? XD). To any of you that did try it, does it really taste so bad ???
> 
> As I said before, if you happen to notice any grammar error or typo, please let me know so I can correct it. Thank you for reading!!!


End file.
